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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 116 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: staff · wake · row · scale · wax · current · patient · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. scale — in music
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. current — happening now
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. scale — size or range
  12. staff — employees
  13. current — of water
  14. staff — employees
  15. row — a line
  16. current — electric
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rule — government
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. row — to paddle
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — before a funeral

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