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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. present — there
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. present — a gift
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fine — high quality
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. fine — all right
  11. cold — not warm
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wax — to grow
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — help
  19. cold — an illness
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. present — the time now
  24. wax — in the ear

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