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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. game — a match
  4. cap — a lid
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stem — to come from
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. game — wild animals
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wax — to grow
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. arm — part of the body

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