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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 120 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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cue — a signal
  8. stock — goods
  9. degree — an amount
  10. staff — employees
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stock — shares
  13. cue — for pool
  14. staff — employees
  15. drill — the tool
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. staff — a stick
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cue — a hint
  24. degree — from a university

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