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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. hand — in cards
  3. spell — a short time
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. court — of law
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spell — letters
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. court — for sport
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. spell — magic
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. branch — a division
  19. hand — help
  20. wound — an injury
  21. court — of a king
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. patient — a sick person

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