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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wake — a trail
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. capital — money
  13. object — an aim
  14. capital — a city
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. object — a thing
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. object — to protest

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