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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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 — calm and waiting
  2. press — to push
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. press — newspapers
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pound — a weight
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wound — an injury
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. current — of water
  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