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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. sharp — clever
  3. field — for sport
  4. band — a music group
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — farmland
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. band — a ring
  11. field — a subject
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cell — in biology
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. lie — an untruth

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