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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ball — a great time
  3. spell — a short time
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. spell — letters
  7. present — the time now
  8. foot — a measure
  9. field — a subject
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. present — a gift
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. spell — magic
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. present — there
  18. wax — to grow
  19. field — for sport
  20. ball — a dance
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. field — farmland
  24. charge — in control

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