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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pit — in a race
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pit — a hole
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wax — to grow
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. fork — in a road
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. patient — a sick person

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