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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cap — a hat
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mug — a cup
  7. tube — a container
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cap — a lid
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bound — obliged
  15. chest — a box
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bound — tied together
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chest — of your body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mug — a face
  24. bound — certain

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