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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mug — a face
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mug — to rob
  8. spell — magic
  9. mug — a cup
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. spell — letters
  12. squash — the sport
  13. kid — to tease
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wind — moving air
  16. spell — a short time
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wind — moving air
  20. key — for a lock
  21. kid — child
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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