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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fall — the season
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. capital — money
  9. wax — to grow
  10. capital — a city
  11. current — electric
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. current — of water
  14. field — a subject
  15. fall — to drop
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. current — happening now
  20. fall — to drop
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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