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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. date — the fruit
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — steady
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. board — to get on
  15. wax — to grow
  16. firm — decided
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. board — a committee
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. snap — to click
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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