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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. field — a subject
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rest — a break
  7. kick — in football
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. branch — a division
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pass — to spend time

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