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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. craft — a skill
  4. field — a subject
  5. rush — hurry
  6. chest — of your body
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. press — to push
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. press — a publisher
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. chest — a box
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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