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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bass — low music
  4. staff — employees
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mate — a friend
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. staff — employees
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mate — to breed
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bass — the instrument

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