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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chair — a leader
  3. drill — the tool
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. field — farmland
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. can — to be able to
  9. drill — a practice
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. can — a tin
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. field — a subject
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. field — for sport
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. drill — army training
  24. wax — for sculpting

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