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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. field — a subject
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bass — low music
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wax — to grow
  17. field — for sport
  18. drill — army training
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. field — farmland
  24. cabinet — ministers

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