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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 120 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: bark · perch · patient · wax · cue · rush · land · club

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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. perch — the fish
  4. club — for golf
  5. rush — hurry
  6. land — a country
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cue — for pool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bark — to shout
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. club — a group
  13. land — ground
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. land — to come down
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cue — a hint
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cue — a signal
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. club — for dancing

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