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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: tube · patient · tear · spring · swing · wax · lash · rock

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. spring — the season
  5. rock — music
  6. wax — to grow
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. swing — to play on
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tube — a container
  11. swing — music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. spring — of water
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. spring — a coil
  24. patient — a sick person

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