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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — steady
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. face — to confront
  8. court — of law
  9. last — final
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bulb — for light
  13. court — of a king
  14. face — part of the head
  15. last — finally
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. court — for sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. firm — decided
  21. field — for sport
  22. face — to point toward
  23. cue — for pool
  24. last — to go on

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