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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chest — of your body
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. kick — in football
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. chest — a box
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. saw — the tool
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. chest — of your body
  24. coach — a trainer

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