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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. staff — employees
  3. bear — the animal
  4. march — the month
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. staff — employees
  7. bear — the animal
  8. branch — a division
  9. march — music
  10. wax — to grow
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. march — the month
  22. chair — a leader
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. staff — a stick

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