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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. current — of water
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. current — electric
  10. ground — the earth
  11. current — happening now
  12. ground — a position
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. field — for sport
  17. ground — crushed
  18. patient — a sick person

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