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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: wax · bat · mouse · straw · chip · patient · date · trunk

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wax — for sculpting

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