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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. field — farmland
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rush — hurry
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bear — the animal
  8. field — a subject
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. face — to confront
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. field — for sport
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. fine — all right

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