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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. suit — clothes
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wax — to grow
  16. suit — to fit
  17. snap — to click
  18. season — of the year
  19. saw — the tool
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. suit — in cards
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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