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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rash — hasty
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. ground — a position
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. ground — crushed
  17. scale — in music
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rash — a series
  24. wax — to grow

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