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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cue — a hint
  7. spring — the season
  8. tube — a container
  9. spring — a coil
  10. firm — a company
  11. degree — temperature
  12. tube — the underground
  13. firm — decided
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. firm — steady
  17. spring — of water
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cue — a signal
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cue — for pool
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. chair — a professorship

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