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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. can — a tin
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. can — to be able to
  10. pit — in a race
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. can — a tin
  17. degree — temperature
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. deal — to handle
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wax — to grow

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