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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. spring — the season
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. cap — a hat
  9. field — for sport
  10. wax — to grow
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rush — hurry
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cue — a signal
  16. field — a subject
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cue — a hint
  22. spring — of water
  23. field — farmland
  24. cap — of ice

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