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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pound — a weight
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pop — music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. club — for golf
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. club — a group
  10. field — for sport
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wound — an injury
  19. current — of water
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. field — a subject
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — electric
  24. wax — for sculpting

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