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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — from a university
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. degree — an amount
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. current — happening now
  8. fine — all right
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fine — high quality
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. current — electric
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. current — of water

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