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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. object — an aim
  14. squash — the sport
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chest — a box
  18. object — a thing
  19. chest — of your body
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. patient — a sick person

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