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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wax — to grow
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cell — a phone
  8. key — for a lock
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. row — a line
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. row — to paddle
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. key — the most important part

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