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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. suit — in cards
  3. field — for sport
  4. net — in sport
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. court — for sport
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. field — a subject
  9. wax — to grow
  10. court — of a king
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. toast — bread
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. court — of law
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. field — farmland
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. suit — to fit

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