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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bass — the fish
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bass — low music
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. field — a subject
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. spell — magic
  19. date — the fruit
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. spell — letters
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. temple — a place of worship

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