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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bear — the animal
  8. current — of water
  9. march — music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. current — electric
  15. march — the month
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. march — the month
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wax — to grow

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