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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · mug · wax · patient · wound · band · fall · prune

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. band — a ring
  5. prune — to trim
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. band — a music group
  14. mug — a face
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wax — to grow
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fall — the season
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mug — to rob
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com