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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pitch — completely
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. present — a gift
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. present — there
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. band — a ring
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. field — for sport
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. band — a music group
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. field — farmland
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. present — the time now
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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