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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: patient · spell · face · tube · wax · mine · fan · mate

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. spell — magic
  4. wax — to grow
  5. spell — letters
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. face — part of the head
  16. tube — a container
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mate — a friend
  20. tube — the underground
  21. face — to point toward
  22. spell — a short time
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. face — to confront

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