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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. pass — a permit
  7. ground — the earth
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bank — for money
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. game — a match
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wax — to grow
  15. staff — a stick
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bank — for money
  21. ground — a position
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pass — to succeed

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