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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. club — a group
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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