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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. march — music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. field — farmland
  9. march — the month
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bore — to drill
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. spell — magic
  19. field — for sport
  20. bore — to tire
  21. march — the month
  22. wax — to grow
  23. spell — letters
  24. rest — a break

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