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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 120 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. shower — to wash
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. game — a match
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. row — to paddle
  21. game — wild animals
  22. shower — rain
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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