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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: saw · wax · arm · patient · march · net · spell · ball

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. march — the month
  6. spell — letters
  7. wax — to grow
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spell — magic
  10. march — music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. net — for catching
  14. march — the month
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. net — after costs
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. saw — the tool
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. net — in sport
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wax — for sculpting

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