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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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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. face — part of the head
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. squash — the sport
  10. drill — army training
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tube — the underground
  14. drill — a practice
  15. face — to confront
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wax — to grow
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. tube — a container
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. drill — the tool

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