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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. last — to go on
  3. band — a ring
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rest — what's left
  8. charge — electricity
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rest — a break
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — a price
  16. wax — to grow
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. last — final
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. band — a music group
  24. last — finally

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