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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: patient · bowl · season · perch · march · wax · snap · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. season — of the year
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. wax — to grow
  10. march — music
  11. snap — to click
  12. march — the month
  13. object — to protest
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. march — the month
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. object — an aim
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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