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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cell — in biology
  4. field — farmland
  5. object — a thing
  6. spell — letters
  7. march — the month
  8. object — an aim
  9. march — music
  10. mate — to breed
  11. spell — a short time
  12. field — for sport
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. march — the month
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. object — to protest
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. spell — magic
  24. field — a subject

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