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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. ground — the earth
  5. tear — from crying
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mate — a friend
  8. file — a document
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mate — to breed
  13. ground — a position
  14. tear — to rip
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bulb — for light
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. file — a tool
  21. spell — magic
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wax — to grow
  24. spell — letters

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