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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: rest · patient · bear · scale · craft · stand · chest · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. scale — in music
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rest — a break
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. craft — boats
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. scale — size or range
  12. craft — a skill
  13. chest — a box
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rest — what's left
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bear — the animal

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