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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mark — a trace
  3. field — a subject
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. staff — a stick
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. mark — a grade
  14. staff — employees
  15. ball — a dance
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. drill — army training
  19. field — for sport
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. ball — a great time
  23. staff — employees
  24. wax — for sculpting

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