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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. date — the fruit
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. chest — of your body
  5. field — for sport
  6. chest — of your body
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. chest — a box
  10. field — farmland
  11. fall — to drop
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wax — to grow
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. fall — to drop
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fall — the season
  24. jam — a tight spot

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