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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. band — a music group
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. field — for sport
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. band — a ring
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. ball — a dance
  14. land — to come down
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. field — a subject
  18. land — ground
  19. wax — to grow
  20. land — a country
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. wax — for sculpting

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