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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rash — a series
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. scale — in music
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. net — after costs
  12. rest — what's left
  13. field — for sport
  14. rest — what's left
  15. net — for catching
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. field — farmland
  19. rash — hasty
  20. net — in sport
  21. kick — in football
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rest — a break
  24. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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