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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. game — a match
  7. object — a thing
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. snap — to click
  11. object — an aim
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. object — to protest
  17. tear — from crying
  18. board — a committee
  19. wax — to grow
  20. field — for sport
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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