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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · mine · bay · field · patient · cue · bat · wax

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. field — farmland
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cue — a signal
  10. tube — a container
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. field — a subject
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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