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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fall — the season
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. can — to be able to
  6. fall — to drop
  7. can — a tin
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. chest — a box
  15. lie — to recline
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fall — to drop
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — a company
  20. chest — of your body
  21. can — a tin
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wax — to grow
  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