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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. roll — a cake
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. roll — a list
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. field — farmland
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. present — the time now
  12. field — for sport
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. present — there
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. chair — a leader
  19. field — a subject
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wax — to grow
  24. degree — from a university

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