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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rock — music
  4. stock — goods
  5. shower — rain
  6. capital — a city
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stock — shares
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rock — a stone
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. capital — money
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. deal — to handle
  24. patient — a sick person

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