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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 116 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. current — happening now
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. spell — magic
  6. wax — to grow
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. field — farmland
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. current — of water
  15. kid — child
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. kid — to tease
  18. press — a publisher
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. current — electric

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