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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 116 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chip — for betting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. file — a line of people
  5. chip — to eat
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. can — to be able to
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. file — a document
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. capital — a city
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wax — to grow
  19. file — a tool
  20. spring — a coil
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. capital — money
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. can — a tin

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