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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. game — wild animals
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. game — a match
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fine — high quality
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stand — to bear
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tear — to rip
  19. fine — all right
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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