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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. object — an aim
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wax — to grow
  10. stock — shares
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. object — to protest
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rule — a law
  17. stock — goods
  18. wind — moving air
  19. object — a thing
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. straw — dry grass
  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