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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. lean — thin
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. swing — music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. tear — to rip
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. lean — to bend
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. tear — from crying
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wax — to grow
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. tear — from crying
  24. patient — a sick person

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