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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. spring — of water
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. net — in sport
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. net — for catching
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. spring — a coil
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. root — of a word
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wax — to grow
  19. root — the cause
  20. net — after costs
  21. spring — the season
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. root — of a plant

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