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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. last — finally
  6. board — to get on
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. last — final
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. last — to go on
  14. row — a line
  15. chair — a leader
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wax — to grow
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. board — a committee
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. row — to paddle

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