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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. current — of water
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. current — happening now
  6. field — for sport
  7. pop — to visit
  8. field — farmland
  9. current — electric
  10. wax — to grow
  11. field — a subject
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pop — music
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pop — soda

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