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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. field — a subject
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. shower — to wash
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. field — farmland
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bark — to shout
  16. shower — rain
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. spring — the season
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. field — for sport
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. spring — of water
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. patient — a sick person

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