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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. field — farmland
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. march — the month
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. march — music
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. march — the month

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