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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. season — in sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. season — of the year
  8. field — a subject
  9. land — a country
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. field — for sport
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wax — to grow
  17. field — farmland
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. land — ground
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. land — to come down
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. nail — on a finger

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