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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pound — a weight
  6. wax — to grow
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — a gift
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. net — in sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. present — there
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spell — magic
  18. net — for catching
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spell — letters
  24. net — after costs

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