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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 120 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: rock · patient · wax · prune · temple · kid · scale · dip

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — to tease
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rock — music
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. scale — in music
  17. dip — to sink
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. scale — size or range
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. temple — a place of worship

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