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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. drill — army training
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. field — for sport
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fork — in a road
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. saw — the tool
  18. field — a subject
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. field — farmland
  24. spell — a short time

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