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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. field — for sport
  3. march — the month
  4. field — farmland
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. file — a tool
  8. fine — all right
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. field — a subject
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mark — a grade
  15. file — a document
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fine — high quality
  24. file — a line of people

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