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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. content — happy
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. land — a country
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wind — moving air
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. land — ground
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mug — a cup
  21. land — to come down
  22. mug — a face
  23. saw — the tool
  24. content — the amount

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