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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ball — a great time
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bore — to drill
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. ball — a dance
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bore — to tire

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