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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. field — a subject
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. pop — to visit
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pop — music
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. field — farmland
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. shower — rain
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pop — soda
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. field — for sport
  24. pit — in a race

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