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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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468
Word bank
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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 water is too ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. present — there
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. current — electric
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. present — the time now
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. wax — to grow
  10. current — of water
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. toast — bread
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. present — a gift
  18. cold — an illness
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. snap — to click
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. current — happening now

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