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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. board — to get on
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — a subject
  11. bulb — for light
  12. board — a committee
  13. field — farmland
  14. drill — the tool
  15. field — for sport
  16. bulb — for light
  17. drill — army training
  18. staff — employees
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. staff — a stick

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