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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. court — of law
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wax — to grow
  13. field — for sport
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. court — for sport
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. field — a subject
  22. court — of a king
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. field — farmland

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