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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. kid — child
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. march — music
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. craft — a skill
  9. march — the month
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. foot — a measure
  13. kid — to tease
  14. tube — a container
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wax — to grow
  18. clip — a video
  19. tube — the underground
  20. march — the month
  21. clip — for paper
  22. craft — boats
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. clip — to cut

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