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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bass — low music
  5. field — for sport
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bass — the fish
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fine — high quality
  15. lie — to recline
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — all right
  20. field — a subject
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mine — an explosive

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