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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: ball · chest · bass · saw · patient · wax · season · chip

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wax — to grow
  3. ball — a great time
  4. chest — a box
  5. chip — for betting
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ball — a dance
  14. season — in sport
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bass — low music
  21. season — of the year
  22. bass — the fish
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bass — the instrument

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