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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. tear — to rip
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spell — magic
  10. fine — all right
  11. spell — a short time
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. fine — high quality
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wax — to grow
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. spell — letters
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. tear — from crying
  23. drill — army training
  24. ground — a position

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