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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bat — the animal
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. shower — rain
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. capital — a city
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. capital — money
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. snap — to click
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. capital — a big letter

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