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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. drill — a practice
  2. spell — magic
  3. field — for sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. field — farmland
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. roll — a list
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. field — a subject
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. drill — the tool
  16. spell — letters
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. drill — army training
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wax — to grow
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. spell — a short time
  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