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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. content — the amount
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bank — of a river
  8. charge — in control
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. field — for sport
  12. game — a match
  13. charge — a price
  14. field — a subject
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. charge — electricity
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. game — wild animals
  23. content — happy
  24. field — farmland

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