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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spell — a short time
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. spell — letters
  13. wind — moving air
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spell — magic
  19. wax — to grow
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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