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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 116 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: fall · wax · plane · ball · band · stand · patient · sharp

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. fall — the season
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wax — to grow
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. sharp — clever
  19. plane — a tool
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fall — to drop
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. ball — a dance
  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