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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. roll — a cake
  6. field — farmland
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. scale — in music
  10. wax — to grow
  11. roll — a list
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. field — for sport
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bound — certain
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. tear — from crying
  22. field — a subject
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. tear — to rip

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