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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. root — the cause
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. ground — crushed
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wax — to grow
  13. hand — help
  14. mate — a friend
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. hand — in cards
  18. root — of a plant
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. ground — the earth
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. root — of a word
  24. ground — a position

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