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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. present — there
  5. staff — a stick
  6. race — humankind
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. snap — to click
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. staff — employees
  16. wax — to grow
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. present — the time now
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. staff — employees
  24. race — a contest

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