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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. swing — to play on
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. board — a committee
  8. row — to paddle
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wax — to grow
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. swing — in golf
  14. last — finally
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. last — final
  17. row — a line
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. swing — music
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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