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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 120 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. track — a song
  4. field — a subject
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. track — to keep track
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. field — for sport
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. track — a path
  18. craft — boats
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. craft — a skill
  22. wax — to grow
  23. field — farmland
  24. wax — in the ear

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