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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  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. game — a match
  2. charge — electricity
  3. field — farmland
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. charge — in control
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. field — for sport
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. charge — a price
  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