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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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Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. file — a line of people
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. key — in music
  7. file — a document
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. key — for a lock
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. key — the most important part
  18. file — a tool
  19. season — in sport
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. season — of the year
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wax — to grow

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