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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 116 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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bear — the animal
  5. field — a subject
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. field — farmland
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wound — an injury
  15. game — a match
  16. net — after costs
  17. field — for sport
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wound — an injury
  24. plane — 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