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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 120 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. board — a committee
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mug — to rob
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bound — tied together
  11. board — to get on
  12. mug — a face
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bound — certain
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bound — obliged
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mug — a cup
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wax — for sculpting

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