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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. board — to get on
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. field — farmland
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. face — to confront
  15. board — a committee
  16. field — for sport
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stem — to come from

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