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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wax — to grow
  4. date — the fruit
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chest — a box
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chest — of your body
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bass — the fish
  20. fall — the season
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bass — low music

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