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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bass — low music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bound — obliged
  7. march — the month
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. march — music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wax — to grow
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ground — a position
  19. march — the month
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. ground — crushed
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wax — in the ear

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