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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: face · current · patient · march · wind · wax · swing · object

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. march — the month
  3. current — of water
  4. march — the month
  5. face — to point toward
  6. object — a thing
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. current — happening now
  11. swing — in golf
  12. face — to confront
  13. current — electric
  14. march — music
  15. swing — music
  16. object — to protest
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. face — part of the head
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wind — moving air
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. object — an aim

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