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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. season — of the year
  2. pound — a weight
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. ground — a position
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. ground — the earth
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. season — in sport
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. rush — hurry
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ground — crushed
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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