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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 120 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. wax — to grow
  3. root — the cause
  4. field — a subject
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. field — for sport
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bore — to drill
  10. root — of a plant
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. root — of a word

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