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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 · season · rush · wave · bark · chip · patient · kid

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. season — in sport
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bark — to shout
  10. kid — child
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. rush — hurry
  19. kid — to tease
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. rush — to hurry

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