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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. field — for sport
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fine — high quality
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. row — to paddle
  13. field — a subject
  14. spell — magic
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. spell — letters
  17. field — farmland
  18. lie — to recline
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wax — to grow
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — a penalty

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