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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.

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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. kid — child
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. land — ground
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wake — a trail
  10. land — to come down
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. court — for sport
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — all right
  17. land — a country
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wax — to grow
  21. court — of law
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. kid — to tease
  24. court — of a king

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