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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. land — ground
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wind — moving air
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. perch — the fish
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. lean — to bend
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wax — to grow
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. lean — thin
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wax — in the ear

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