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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. swing — to play on
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rock — a stone
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mate — to breed
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bank — for money
  11. rock — music
  12. bank — of a river
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bank — for money
  15. mate — a friend
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. clip — a video
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wax — to grow
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mate — a partner
  23. clip — for paper
  24. swing — music

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