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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cap — a lid
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. land — a country
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rock — a stone
  15. kick — in football
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. pitcher — a jug

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