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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. race — humankind
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wax — to grow
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. root — of a plant
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. race — the arms race
  13. root — of a word
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. race — a contest
  17. saw — the tool
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. deal — to handle
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. root — the cause
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. deal — a big deal

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