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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 116 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. wax — to grow
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fall — the season
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. tear — from crying
  15. field — for sport
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stand — to bear
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. field — a subject
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pass — to spend time

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