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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bound — certain
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a signal
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. land — to come down
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rest — a break
  13. bat — the animal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. land — ground
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. land — a country
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bat — for baseball

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