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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. cue — a signal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mate — a partner
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cue — for pool
  9. root — of a plant
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mate — to breed
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cue — a hint
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a word
  21. wax — to grow
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mate — a friend
  24. field — a subject

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