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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. chest — of your body
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. present — there
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. present — the time now
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hand — help
  19. stand — to bear
  20. present — a gift
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wax — to grow
  24. chest — a box

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