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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wax — to grow
  3. present — the time now
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. row — to paddle
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. row — a line
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. present — a gift
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. present — there
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. dip — to sink

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