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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: nail · wound · patient · spring · season · wax · bear · kid

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. kid — to tease
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bear — the animal
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. spring — of water
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spring — a coil
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. season — of the year
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. kid — child
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spring — the season
  24. wax — in the ear

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