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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. field — a subject
  7. wax — to grow
  8. field — for sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. current — electric
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. current — happening now
  15. field — farmland
  16. current — of water
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool

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