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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. field — a subject
  4. ball — a dance
  5. game — a match
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bound — tied together
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. chip — to eat
  10. field — farmland
  11. game — wild animals
  12. tube — the underground
  13. ball — a great time
  14. tube — a container
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. field — for sport
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bound — certain
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bound — obliged
  24. ball — a round shape

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