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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. charge — a price
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — electricity
  20. hand — help
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. wax — in the ear

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