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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cold — an illness
  3. field — farmland
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stand — to bear
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. field — a subject
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. swing — music
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. field — for sport
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cold — not warm
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. swing — in golf

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