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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: patient · spring · pitcher · court · wax · bay · rest · lash

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wax — to grow
  6. court — for sport
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spring — the season
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. pitcher — a jug

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