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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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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: rock · net · wax · object · stand · tear · patient · kid

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. net — for catching
  4. object — an aim
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. net — in sport
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rock — a stone
  12. object — to protest
  13. net — after costs
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. kid — child
  16. rock — music
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. tear — from crying
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. kid — to tease
  21. object — a thing
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stand — to bear

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