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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. field — for sport
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. march — music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. press — to push
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mine — for digging
  16. press — a publisher
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. press — newspapers
  19. can — a tin
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. perch — the fish
  22. march — the month
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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