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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. staff — employees
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bulb — for light
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — a company
  10. wax — to grow
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. staff — employees
  13. field — farmland
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. field — a subject
  16. staff — a stick
  17. field — for sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rash — a series
  20. bulb — for light
  21. game — a match
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. firm — steady
  24. wax — for sculpting

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