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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. land — a country
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. land — ground
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rash — hasty
  18. land — to come down
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pound — a weight
  22. rash — a series
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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