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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 120 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. shower — rain
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. land — to come down
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kid — child
  8. deal — to handle
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. kid — to tease
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chair — a leader
  18. land — ground
  19. shower — to wash
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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