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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pass — a permit
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — certain
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bound — tied together
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. patient — a sick person

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