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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 120 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wax — to grow
  9. game — a match
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. field — farmland
  13. game — wild animals
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cap — a hat
  16. lean — thin
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. field — a subject
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lean — to bend
  21. field — for sport
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lean — to rest against

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