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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stand — to bear
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. firm — steady
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. firm — decided
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. firm — a company
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. key — in music
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — a trail
  24. nail — for a hammer

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