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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 120 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: patient · saw · ball · wax · hide · mate · cold · key

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mate — a friend
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cold — an illness
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. mate — a partner
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. ball — a great time

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