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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. field — for sport
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mark — a grade
  6. field — farmland
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rash — a series
  9. wax — to grow
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mark — a trace
  14. craft — a skill
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. craft — boats
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — a subject
  24. scale — in music

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