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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: patient · wake · wax · fan · ball · stock · charge · bat

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stock — shares
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bat — the animal
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wake — a trail
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. stock — goods
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. charge — in control
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — a price
  24. wax — to grow

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