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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: patient · face · wax · jam · object · squash · lean · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. squash — to crush
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. object — a thing
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — to protest
  19. lean — thin
  20. squash — the sport
  21. face — part of the head
  22. lean — to bend
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wax — to grow

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