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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mug — to rob
  5. field — a subject
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. field — for sport
  8. mug — a face
  9. field — farmland
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. band — a ring
  18. squash — the sport

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