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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. field — a subject
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. land — a country
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. field — for sport
  9. content — the amount
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. key — in music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. content — happy
  14. key — for a lock
  15. land — to come down
  16. cap — a lid
  17. key — the most important part
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. land — ground
  20. wax — to grow
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. field — farmland

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