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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. squash — the sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wax — to grow
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. current — of water
  9. staff — employees
  10. squash — to crush
  11. tube — the underground
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. field — farmland
  14. current — happening now
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. tube — a container
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. saw — the tool
  19. field — for sport
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. current — electric
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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