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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 120 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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. chair — to sit on
  2. wax — to grow
  3. season — in sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. face — part of the head
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rash — hasty
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. chair — a leader
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. foot — a measure
  17. season — of the year
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. rash — a series
  23. season — to add flavour
  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