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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. net — in sport
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. net — after costs
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. current — electric
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fine — all right
  17. net — for catching
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fine — high quality
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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