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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. land — a country
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. saw — the tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. land — ground
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. stand — to bear
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cell — in biology
  17. key — the most important part
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. land — to come down
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. key — in music
  24. arm — part of the body

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