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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wound — an injury
  4. firm — steady
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cap — a hat
  7. can — a tin
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. can — a tin
  11. spring — the season
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. can — to be able to
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. firm — decided
  20. cap — of ice
  21. field — farmland
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. firm — a company
  24. wound — an injury

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