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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. field — farmland
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. scale — in music
  5. shower — rain
  6. mate — a friend
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mate — to breed
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. track — a path
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. track — to keep track
  17. field — for sport
  18. shower — to wash
  19. field — a subject
  20. scale — size or range
  21. track — a song
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. patient — a sick person

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