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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rock — a stone
  3. tube — a container
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. face — part of the head
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. face — to confront
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. field — for sport
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pop — music
  16. tube — the underground
  17. field — a subject
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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