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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. land — to come down
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. saw — the tool
  8. firm — a company
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. tube — the underground
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. firm — decided
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. tube — a container
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wax — to grow
  18. firm — steady
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. saw — the tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wind — moving air

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