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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 120 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. tear — from crying
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tear — from crying
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. swing — music
  9. face — to confront
  10. tear — to rip
  11. scale — size or range
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. swing — in golf
  19. face — part of the head
  20. swing — to play on
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fine — high quality
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wax — in the ear

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