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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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. fine — a penalty
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. court — of law
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. content — happy
  8. field — for sport
  9. court — for sport
  10. wax — to grow
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. field — farmland
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fine — all right
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cell — in biology
  21. prune — to trim
  22. court — of a king
  23. cell — a phone
  24. prune — to trim

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