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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 120 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
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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: march · patient · lie · court · file · coach · can · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. can — a tin
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. can — a tin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. march — the month
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wax — to grow
  14. can — to be able to
  15. court — for sport
  16. march — the month
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. march — music
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. file — a document
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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