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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mark — a trace
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. fall — the season
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — child
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. fall — to drop
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pass — a permit
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pass — to succeed

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