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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wake · patient · leaves · bowl · perch · wound · pitcher · wax

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wound — an injury
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. perch — the fish
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wound — an injury

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