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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. mine — for digging
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. field — a subject
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. field — farmland
  11. land — ground
  12. bark — to shout
  13. land — a country
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. land — to come down
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mine — belonging to me

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