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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. field — a subject
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. plane — a tool
  8. object — to protest
  9. field — for sport
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wax — to grow
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. scale — size or range
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. field — farmland
  17. object — an aim
  18. chip — for betting
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. object — a thing
  22. scale — in music
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. chip — to eat

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