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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. game — wild animals
  9. spring — a coil
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spring — of water
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. spring — the season
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. game — a match
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — to grow
  24. game — a kind of play

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