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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 116 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mate — a partner
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stem — to come from
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pound — a weight
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wake — a trail
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mate — a friend
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. mate — to breed

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