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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rash — a series
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mine — for digging

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