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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. court — of a king
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fine — all right
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. face — to point toward
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. face — part of the head
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. face — to confront
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fine — high quality
  16. court — for sport
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. court — of law

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