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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: deal · game · patient · wax · lie · ball · clip · fall

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fall — the season
  4. lie — to recline
  5. ball — a great time
  6. deal — to handle
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. game — a match
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wax — to grow
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ball — a dance
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. ball — a round shape

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