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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: wax · pitcher · net · saw · patient · bound · calf · lash

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bound — certain
  7. saw — the tool
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. net — in sport
  17. wax — to grow
  18. saw — the tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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