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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wax — to grow
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. club — a group
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. band — a music group
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. club — for dancing
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. band — a ring
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. club — for golf
  24. hide — to keep secret

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