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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bound — tied together
  7. drill — the tool
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. field — farmland
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. prune — to trim
  13. drill — army training
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bound — certain
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ball — a great time
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. drill — a practice

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