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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. net — after costs
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. face — to point toward
  11. file — a line of people
  12. net — for catching
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stand — to bear
  15. file — a tool
  16. net — in sport
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. file — a document
  19. face — to confront
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. date — the fruit
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. temple — a place of worship

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