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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. roll — a cake
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. mug — a face
  8. lean — to bend
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. fall — the season
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lean — thin
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. mug — to rob
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. roll — a list
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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