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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. date — the fruit
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. field — a subject
  13. chest — of your body
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. season — of the year
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. chest — a box
  21. season — in sport
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. temple — side of the head

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