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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. firm — a company
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. firm — decided
  12. key — in music
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. firm — steady
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. hand — in cards
  24. kid — to tease

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