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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wax — to grow
  3. land — ground
  4. field — for sport
  5. dip — to sink
  6. land — to come down
  7. pitch — completely
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. field — farmland
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. band — a music group
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. band — a ring
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. land — a country
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. field — a subject
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pitcher — a jug

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