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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 120 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. row — a line
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. shower — to wash
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wax — to grow
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. row — to paddle
  19. track — a path
  20. snap — to click
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. shower — rain
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. wax — for sculpting

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