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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cap — of ice
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wound — an injury
  10. field — farmland
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. field — for sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cap — a lid
  16. saw — the tool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. tear — to rip
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. field — a subject
  24. wound — an injury

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