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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mark — a trace
  3. field — for sport
  4. fine — all right
  5. board — to get on
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bear — the animal
  10. board — a committee
  11. fine — high quality
  12. field — farmland
  13. mark — a grade
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. prune — to trim
  16. field — a subject
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. scale — in music
  24. prune — the fruit

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