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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bulb — for light
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mug — a face
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. press — a publisher
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mug — to rob
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wax — to grow
  19. press — to push
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bulb — for light
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bat — in an idiom

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