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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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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: kid · content · mate · patient · bank · wax · jam · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mate — to breed
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. saw — the tool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kid — child
  11. mate — a partner
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. mate — a friend
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bank — for money
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — happy
  18. kid — to tease
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. content — the amount
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. wax — to grow

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