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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. content — happy
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. lie — to recline
  8. content — the amount
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pass — a permit
  20. field — for sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. field — farmland
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. arm — part of the body

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