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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. suit — in cards
  3. fine — all right
  4. spell — magic
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. wax — to grow
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. spell — letters
  15. suit — to fit
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. suit — clothes
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. stock — goods
  20. kid — child
  21. stock — shares
  22. spell — a short time
  23. kid — to tease
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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