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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: ground · land · wax · bore · mine · fork · patient · ball

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wax — to grow
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fork — in a road
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bore — to tire
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. land — ground
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. land — to come down
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. land — a country
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ball — a great time
  24. fork — to eat with

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