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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.

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: game · suit · patient · prune · wax · file · land · scale

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. land — to come down
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. file — a line of people
  5. suit — to fit
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. suit — in cards
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. suit — clothes
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wax — to grow
  13. land — a country
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. file — a tool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. scale — in music
  23. land — ground
  24. scale — size or range

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