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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. present — a gift
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. cell — a phone
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. game — a match
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bark — to shout
  17. lean — to bend
  18. present — there
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. cell — in biology
  23. lean — thin
  24. present — the time now

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