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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. net — in sport
  4. content — happy
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. content — the amount
  11. rash — a series
  12. net — after costs
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rash — hasty
  15. net — for catching
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wax — to grow
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. wind — moving air

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