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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. field — farmland
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wax — to grow
  17. field — for sport
  18. firm — steady
  19. craft — boats
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cold — not warm
  22. firm — a company
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. firm — decided

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