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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 124 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. ball — a great time
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. craft — a skill
  8. ball — a dance
  9. stock — shares
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pass — a permit
  15. lean — thin
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. craft — boats
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. game — a match
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. pass — to spend time

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