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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. charge — electricity
  3. land — ground
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bass — low music
  8. land — a country
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. charge — in control
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. land — to come down
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. dip — to sink
  19. charge — a price
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bass — the fish

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