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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.

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: wake · hand · patient · wax · file · ruler · scale · cold

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. scale — in music
  10. cold — not warm
  11. hand — help
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. scale — size or range
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. file — a tool
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wake — a trail
  21. file — a document
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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