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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wound — an injury
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. field — farmland
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bass — low music
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. field — for sport
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. field — a subject
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fork — in a road

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