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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: mine · wax · stand · bowl · season · patient · current · rash

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stand — to bear
  10. current — of water
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rash — a series
  13. current — electric
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. current — happening now
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rash — hasty
  24. stand — on your feet

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