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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: root · hand · bay · wax · wound · shower · patient · present

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. hand — help
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. root — the cause
  7. shower — rain
  8. present — a gift
  9. wound — an injury
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wound — an injury
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. shower — to wash
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. present — there
  19. root — of a word
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. present — the time now

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