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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. field — a subject
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. key — in music
  7. tube — a container
  8. scale — in music
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. field — farmland
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wax — to grow
  18. field — for sport
  19. pit — in a race
  20. stock — shares
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. tube — the underground

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