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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: rule · net · patient · lash · tube · mate · wax · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mate — a friend
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mate — to breed
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. tube — the underground
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. net — in sport
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wax — to grow
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. tube — a container
  22. rule — a law
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rule — government

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