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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cap — a hat
  4. field — a subject
  5. suit — to fit
  6. fine — all right
  7. shower — rain
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. field — farmland
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wax — to grow
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cap — a lid
  18. band — a ring
  19. cap — of ice
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. band — a music group
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — clothes
  24. field — for sport

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