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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. spell — letters
  6. field — a subject
  7. march — the month
  8. field — farmland
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. board — to get on
  12. spell — magic
  13. march — the month
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wax — to grow
  17. board — a committee
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. march — music
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. field — for sport
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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