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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: club · arm · wax · suit · game · patient · scale · shower

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. suit — clothes
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. suit — to fit
  6. game — wild animals
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. club — for dancing
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wax — to grow
  12. club — a group
  13. scale — in music
  14. club — for golf
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. suit — in cards
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. scale — size or range
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. arm — part of the body

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