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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mug — a face
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mug — to rob
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — farmland
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. rest — a break
  15. game — a match
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. field — for sport
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. rest — what's left

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