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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. drill — army training
  3. fall — the season
  4. spell — a short time
  5. field — for sport
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mate — to breed
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. capital — a city
  14. fall — to drop
  15. field — a subject
  16. spell — letters
  17. bank — for money
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mate — a partner
  20. spell — magic
  21. bank — for money
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. field — farmland

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