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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. field — a subject
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wax — to grow
  8. scale — in music
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. field — farmland
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. field — for sport
  20. drill — army training
  21. rock — music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bark — of a tree

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