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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bulb — for light
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fine — high quality
  6. field — for sport
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bulb — for light
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. branch — a division
  18. field — a subject
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fine — all right

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