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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. field — for sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. object — to protest
  7. field — a subject
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wax — to grow
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. object — an aim
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. object — a thing
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. field — farmland
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. chip — in a computer

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