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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 120 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. field — a subject
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. content — the amount
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. field — for sport
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mine — for digging
  22. content — happy
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. leaves — to go away

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