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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: march · patient · bear · chip · pound · wave · ball · wax

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chip — for betting
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. march — music
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. march — the month
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wax — to grow
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. chip — to eat
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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