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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wax — to grow
  12. ball — a dance
  13. clip — to cut
  14. can — to be able to
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fall — the season
  17. can — a tin
  18. clip — a video
  19. fall — to drop
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. can — a tin

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