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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 116 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. swing — in golf
  3. present — a gift
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. content — happy
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wax — to grow
  10. saw — the tool
  11. swing — music
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. swing — to play on
  14. present — there
  15. wake — a trail
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. saw — the tool
  18. content — the amount
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. ground — a position
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. content — videos and posts

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