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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 120 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wound — an injury
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rash — hasty
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. deal — to handle
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. file — a tool
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spell — letters
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. file — a document
  19. spell — a short time
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. spell — magic
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. deal — a big deal

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