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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. season — in sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. capital — money
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. capital — a city
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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