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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.

Make a worksheet

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: pitcher · fall · spring · file · wax · bay · patient · jam

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. file — a tool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. spring — of water
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. spring — the season
  16. file — a document
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fall — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. file — a line of people
  24. jam — in traffic

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