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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. press — to push
  3. mug — a face
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cue — a hint
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cue — for pool
  10. object — an aim
  11. mug — a cup
  12. object — to protest
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. object — a thing
  17. cue — a signal
  18. press — a publisher
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. press — newspapers
  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