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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cell — in biology
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cell — a phone
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cold — not warm
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wax — to grow
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wax — in the ear

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