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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rest — a break
  3. field — a subject
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bear — the animal
  6. drill — the tool
  7. field — farmland
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. field — for sport
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wax — to grow
  15. drill — army training
  16. bear — the animal
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. track — to keep track

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