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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. face — part of the head
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wax — to grow
  5. net — after costs
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. stand — to bear
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. net — for catching
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ball — a great time
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. net — in sport
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. wake — before a funeral

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