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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. field — a subject
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wax — to grow
  7. field — for sport
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. root — the cause
  15. field — farmland
  16. present — there
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pop — soda
  22. present — the time now
  23. dip — to sink
  24. present — a gift

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