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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. suit — to fit
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. cell — in biology
  8. tube — a container
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mate — to breed
  12. cell — a phone
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mate — a partner
  15. key — for a lock
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mate — a friend
  18. suit — clothes
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. key — the most important part
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — in music
  23. sharp — clever
  24. tube — in a tire

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