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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rock — music
  3. deal — to handle
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. wound — an injury
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. spring — the season
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wax — to grow
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. can — a tin
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. can — to be able to
  23. race — humankind
  24. rock — a stone

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