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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. march — the month
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bat — the animal
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. march — music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. game — wild animals
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wax — to grow
  21. game — a match
  22. march — the month
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. press — to push

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