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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. can — a tin
  4. field — farmland
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pop — soda
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pop — to visit
  12. field — a subject
  13. season — of the year
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. field — for sport
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pop — music
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. can — to be able to
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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