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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: land · saw · fall · stick · patient · wax · bank · clip

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bank — for money
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bank — for money
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bank — of a river
  9. clip — to cut
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. fall — to drop
  16. saw — the tool
  17. land — to come down
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. clip — a video
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. clip — for paper
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fall — the season
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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