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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. content — happy
  4. court — of a king
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wax — to grow
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. hand — help
  10. court — for sport
  11. band — a ring
  12. rock — music
  13. court — of law
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. chip — to eat
  16. band — a music group
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chip — for betting
  19. rock — a stone
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hand — in cards
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. content — the amount

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