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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: game · fork · swing · pitcher · wax · firm · patient · chest

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. game — a match
  5. swing — in golf
  6. fork — in a road
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. firm — a company
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. game — wild animals
  14. chest — a box
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. chest — of your body
  17. firm — decided
  18. chest — of your body
  19. firm — steady
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. patient — a sick person

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