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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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. field — for sport
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. face — part of the head
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fine — all right
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. content — the amount
  15. field — farmland
  16. wax — to grow
  17. face — to confront
  18. content — happy

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