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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: rock · wave · fall · file · patient · mark · wax · scale

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fall — to drop
  4. file — a document
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. file — a line of people
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. rock — a stone
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fall — the season
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rock — music
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. file — a tool
  18. scale — in music
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. scale — size or range
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mark — a trace
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mark — a grade

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