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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. object — a thing
  4. wax — to grow
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. clip — to cut
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. chest — of your body
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — to protest
  16. bear — the animal
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bear — the animal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. clip — a video
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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