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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. object — an aim
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. object — to protest
  7. wound — an injury
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. craft — boats
  11. stem — to come from
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. net — in sport
  14. craft — a skill
  15. net — after costs
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. object — a thing
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. net — for catching
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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