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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. tube — a container
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mug — a face
  8. field — for sport
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. field — farmland
  13. mug — to rob
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. field — a subject
  18. mug — a cup
  19. tube — the underground
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wax — to grow

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