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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: wind · wax · patient · dip · band · craft · rule · mine

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wind — moving air
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. band — a music group
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rule — a law
  11. wind — moving air
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. band — a ring
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mine — for digging
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wax — to grow
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. craft — boats
  24. mine — belonging to me

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