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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: trunk · can · hide · wind · wax · field · patient · deal

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — farmland
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. field — a subject
  14. deal — to handle
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. can — a tin
  17. field — for sport
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. can — a tin
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wax — to grow
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wax — in the ear

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