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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 116 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: wax · cue · patient · tube · field · spell · hide · chip

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spell — magic
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. field — a subject
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cue — for pool
  8. chip — for betting
  9. field — farmland
  10. chip — to eat
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cue — a signal
  14. spell — letters
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. spell — a short time
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cue — a hint
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. field — for sport
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. tube — a container
  24. chip — in a computer

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