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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rash — hasty
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. drill — the tool
  8. file — a document
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wax — to grow
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. file — a tool
  15. rash — a series
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. drill — army training
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. file — a line of people
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. scale — in music
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rash — on the skin

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