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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. field — for sport
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wax — to grow
  8. firm — a company
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. spring — the season
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. field — farmland
  16. firm — steady
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spring — of water
  19. hand — in cards
  20. board — to get on
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. firm — decided
  23. hand — help
  24. board — a committee

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