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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wax — to grow
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fork — in a road
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pit — a hole
  9. field — a subject
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. field — for sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pit — in a race
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. field — farmland
  21. scale — size or range
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. scale — in music

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