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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wax — to grow
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. field — a subject
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. board — a committee
  16. wound — an injury
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pitch — completely
  24. board — to get on

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