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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
468
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: row · wax · season · patient · wave · nail · snap · clip

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. clip — to cut
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. clip — a video
  18. row — a line
  19. snap — to click
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wax — to grow
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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