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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rash — a series
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. last — to go on
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mug — a cup
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rash — hasty
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mug — to rob
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. last — finally
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. last — final
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bass — the fish
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bass — low music

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