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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. sharp — clever
  3. present — a gift
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. board — a committee
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wax — to grow
  12. board — to get on
  13. present — there
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. chip — for betting
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chip — to eat
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. present — the time now

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