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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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 — a subject
  2. deal — to handle
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pass — a permit
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. field — for sport
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. lie — to recline
  20. field — farmland
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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