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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. roll — a cake
  3. object — a thing
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pass — a permit
  9. spell — magic
  10. object — an aim
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. object — to protest
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time

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