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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to 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. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. march — the month
  11. shower — rain
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. date — the fruit
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. shower — to wash
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. patient — a sick person
  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