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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wax — to grow
  6. tube — a container
  7. field — a subject
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. field — farmland
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. hand — help
  24. tube — the underground

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