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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 124 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. current — electric
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. field — for sport
  6. current — happening now
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mine — for digging
  10. face — to point toward
  11. field — farmland
  12. current — of water
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. firm — steady
  16. bore — to drill
  17. field — a subject
  18. firm — decided
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bore — to tire
  22. scale — in music
  23. firm — a company
  24. face — to confront

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