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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. field — farmland
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. field — a subject
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. court — of a king
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wax — to grow
  11. court — for sport
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bank — for money
  14. court — of law
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. field — for sport
  18. squash — the sport
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bank — for money
  23. squash — to crush
  24. jam — in traffic

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