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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. field — for sport
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. craft — a skill
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. field — a subject
  13. prune — to trim
  14. field — farmland
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. chip — for betting
  17. craft — boats
  18. pit — in a race
  19. prune — to trim
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wax — to grow
  23. chip — to eat
  24. racket — for tennis

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