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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. season — of the year
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. field — farmland
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wax — to grow
  8. tear — from crying
  9. field — for sport
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. season — in sport
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. field — a subject
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tear — to rip

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