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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bass — low music
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mine — for digging
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lean — thin
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wax — to grow
  18. firm — decided
  19. kid — to tease
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. firm — a company
  24. patient — a sick person

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