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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 116 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. field — for sport
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bass — low music
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mate — a friend
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. field — a subject
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wax — to grow
  13. field — farmland
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mate — to breed

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