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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: last · snap · patient · swing · stand · wax · bound · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. last — final
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bound — obliged
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bound — certain
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bound — tied together
  24. snap — to click

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