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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. kick — in football
  4. bound — tied together
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wax — to grow
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bound — obliged
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bound — certain
  24. wind — moving air

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