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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 got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. field — farmland
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. swing — in golf
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. season — in sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. field — for sport
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. season — of the year
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rash — a series
  16. swing — music
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bear — the animal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. field — a subject
  24. bear — the animal

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