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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bay · season · hide · clip · staff · patient · wax · fall

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fall — to drop
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. clip — for paper
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fall — the season
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. fall — to drop
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. staff — employees
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. wax — to grow
  20. staff — employees
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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