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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.

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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: bark · wax · stand · degree · file · leaves · pit · patient

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pit — in a race
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. file — a line of people
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. degree — an amount
  10. file — a document
  11. bark — to shout
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wax — to grow
  20. file — a tool
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pit — a hole

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