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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.

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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: lie · lash · court · patient · fall · wax · arm · sharp

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. fall — the season
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. sharp — clever
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fall — to drop
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fall — to drop
  17. court — of a king
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. lie — to recline
  24. sharp — exactly

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