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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. field — a subject
  6. deal — to handle
  7. present — a gift
  8. field — farmland
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. present — there
  12. band — a music group
  13. wax — to grow
  14. band — a ring
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. present — the time now
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. chip — for betting

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