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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wax — to grow
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rest — a break
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rest — what's left
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rest — what's left
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. rash — a series

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