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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 116 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. field — for sport
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cap — a lid
  8. field — a subject
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. club — for dancing
  11. branch — a division
  12. field — farmland
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for golf
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bear — the animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bear — the animal
  24. court — of a king

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