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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. field — farmland
  5. wax — to grow
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. field — for sport
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. game — a match
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. face — part of the head

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