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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ground — the earth
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — crushed
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rock — music
  15. cue — a signal
  16. key — in music
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cue — a hint
  20. key — for a lock
  21. scale — size or range
  22. ground — a position
  23. cue — for pool
  24. scale — in music

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