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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. scale — in music
  2. file — a document
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. spell — magic
  7. file — a line of people
  8. key — in music
  9. file — a tool
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. march — music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. march — the month
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. march — the month
  20. spell — letters
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wax — to grow
  23. scale — for weighing
  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