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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rest — a break
  11. file — a line of people
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mug — a face
  18. bound — certain
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mug — to rob
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bound — tied together

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