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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. spell — a short time
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. ball — a great time
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wax — to grow
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. ball — a dance
  18. can — a tin
  19. spell — magic
  20. scale — in music
  21. track — a path
  22. spell — letters
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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