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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.

Make a worksheet

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: content · net · cold · wax · shower · safe · trunk · patient

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. shower — to wash
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. net — for catching
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. net — in sport
  12. shower — rain
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cold — not warm
  20. content — happy
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. net — after costs
  24. safe — out of danger

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