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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: sharp · leaves · patient · rush · wax · wound · straw · land

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. land — ground
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. land — to come down
  18. rush — hurry
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. land — a country
  23. wound — an injury
  24. straw — a straw man

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