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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. dip — to sink
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wax — to grow
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. sharp — clever

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