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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cold — an illness
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rock — a stone
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rock — music
  11. plane — a tool
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cold — not warm
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wax — to grow
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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