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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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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: bowl · tear · chair · rest · arm · patient · spell · wax

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rest — a break
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. spell — a short time
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. spell — letters
  20. tear — to rip
  21. spell — magic
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rest — what's left

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