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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 · kick · wax · game · patient · arm · pitcher · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. game — a match
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kick — in football
  11. game — wild animals
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. rest — what's left
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — a trail

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