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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. game — wild animals
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rock — music
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rush — hurry
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. deal — to handle
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. face — to point toward
  21. game — a match
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. face — to confront

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