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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. fall — the season
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cap — a hat
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cap — of ice
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. fall — to drop
  15. club — for golf
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. club — a group
  22. bear — the animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cap — a lid

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