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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 116 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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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: bay · snap · wax · land · field · dip · patient · rule

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. dip — to sink
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wax — to grow
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rule — a law
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. snap — to click
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. field — for sport
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. land — ground
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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