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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. craft — boats
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. mug — to rob
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. face — to confront
  8. mug — a face
  9. field — for sport
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. face — part of the head
  14. drill — army training
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. chair — a leader
  19. craft — a skill
  20. field — farmland
  21. mug — a cup
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. wax — to grow
  24. face — to point toward

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