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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bore — to tire
  3. snap — to click
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. track — to keep track
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. hand — in cards
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. pound — a weight
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. toast — bread
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. track — a song
  17. bore — to drill
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. track — a path
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. hand — help
  24. bore — gave birth

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