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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
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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: patient · kid · file · bank · net · swing · can · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. net — after costs
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. can — to be able to
  5. net — in sport
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. swing — to play on
  9. file — a document
  10. wax — to grow
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. kid — to tease
  14. can — a tin
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. net — for catching
  17. bank — for money
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. bank — of a river
  21. can — a tin
  22. bank — for money
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kid — child

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