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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. field — for sport
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rush — hurry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. field — a subject
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. field — farmland
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — of the sea

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