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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. land — to come down
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. charge — in control
  10. mate — a friend
  11. land — ground
  12. bat — the animal
  13. land — a country
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — electricity
  20. lie — to recline
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mate — to breed

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