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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fall — to drop
  6. march — the month
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. march — music
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. current — happening now
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. hand — in cards
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. hand — help
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. wax — to grow
  23. kick — in football
  24. lean — thin

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