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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: pitcher · stock · wax · cue · patient · object · net · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. net — after costs
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stock — goods
  7. object — to protest
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cue — a signal
  10. object — a thing
  11. cue — for pool
  12. object — an aim
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. net — in sport
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. net — for catching
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. stock — shares
  24. cue — a hint

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