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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mate — a partner
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stock — goods
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stock — shares
  10. wax — to grow
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mate — a friend
  22. fine — high quality
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fine — a penalty

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