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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 116 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. court — for sport
  10. spring — of water
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spring — the season
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. court — of a king
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. court — of law

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