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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. field — for sport
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wax — to grow
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. season — of the year
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. field — farmland
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. season — in sport
  24. wake — a trail

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