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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. foot — part of the body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. track — a path
  4. land — to come down
  5. club — for golf
  6. track — a song
  7. field — for sport
  8. content — the amount
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wax — to grow
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. tear — from crying
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. land — a country
  16. field — a subject
  17. land — ground
  18. field — farmland
  19. foot — a measure
  20. track — to keep track
  21. tear — to rip
  22. club — a group
  23. content — happy
  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