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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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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wax — to grow
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mark — a grade
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. patient — a sick person

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