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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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 — a sick person
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. craft — boats
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. staff — a stick
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cold — not warm
  10. prune — to trim
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cold — an illness
  17. prune — to trim
  18. staff — employees
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spring — the season
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. staff — employees
  23. spring — of water
  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