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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wound — an injury
  6. field — farmland
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. bulb — for light
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bore — to tire
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bore — to drill
  19. rest — a break
  20. content — happy
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bore — gave birth

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