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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 124 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.

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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: patient · racket · pitcher · wax · saw · march · bulb · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. saw — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. saw — the tool
  7. march — music
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. last — final
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. march — the month
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wax — to grow

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