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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. ground — crushed
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. branch — a division
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ground — the earth
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. face — to confront
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitch — completely
  22. face — to point toward
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. ground — a position

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