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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. net — in sport
  3. club — a group
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. spring — a coil
  10. fine — all right
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. spring — of water
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. club — for golf
  16. net — for catching
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spring — the season
  20. mine — for digging
  21. net — after costs
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wax — to grow
  24. fine — high quality

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