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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cue — for pool
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. cue — a signal
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cue — a hint
  16. vault — a safe
  17. prune — to trim
  18. field — for sport

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