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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: track · ball · patient · rock · wax · lie · fan · file

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. ball — a great time
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. track — to keep track
  8. lie — to recline
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rock — music
  13. wax — to grow
  14. file — a document
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. rock — a stone
  19. ball — a dance
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. track — a song
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. track — a path

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