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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. season — in sport
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. file — a tool
  5. court — for sport
  6. wax — to grow
  7. season — of the year
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. court — of a king
  11. cap — a hat
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. row — a line
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. file — a document
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. board — a committee
  21. file — a line of people
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. board — to get on
  24. court — of law

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