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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mate — a partner
  3. club — for golf
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. club — for dancing
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mate — to breed
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. club — a group
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. field — for sport
  23. ball — a dance
  24. field — a subject

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