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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 120 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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. foot — a measure
  11. stock — shares
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bulb — for light
  19. field — a subject
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. chair — a leader

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