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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. craft — a skill
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. craft — boats
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. kid — to tease
  15. shower — to wash
  16. kid — child
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. shower — rain
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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