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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. foot — a measure
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. field — farmland
  14. can — to be able to
  15. file — a document
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. can — a tin
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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