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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. present — there
  3. field — for sport
  4. spell — magic
  5. present — the time now
  6. swing — music
  7. present — a gift
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. field — a subject
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. spell — a short time
  21. mark — a grade
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. spell — letters
  24. ruler — for measuring

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