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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cold — an illness
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  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