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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. fine — all right
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. present — a gift
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. present — there
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. degree — an amount
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. present — the time now
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. date — the fruit
  17. roll — a cake
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. degree — from a university
  21. roll — a list
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fine — high quality

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