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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: object · content · rest · pass · wax · patient · plane · pound

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. plane — a tool
  8. object — to protest
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rest — a break
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. object — an aim
  14. pound — a weight
  15. object — a thing
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. rest — what's left
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. content — the amount
  24. plane — in geometry

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