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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. stand — to bear
  3. field — a subject
  4. wax — to grow
  5. field — for sport
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pass — a permit
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. field — farmland
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pound — a weight
  23. march — music
  24. fork — a garden tool

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