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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 120 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wax — to grow
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. season — of the year
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. game — a match
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. game — wild animals
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. season — in sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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