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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cap — a lid
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. land — ground
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. land — to come down
  16. kick — in football
  17. cap — of ice
  18. land — a country
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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