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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bore — to tire
  7. field — a subject
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mug — a face
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wax — to grow
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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