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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mug — a face
  7. chip — for betting
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bound — certain
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rush — hurry
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. cap — of ice
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mug — a cup
  20. cap — a lid
  21. field — farmland
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. chip — to eat

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