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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · pitcher · mug · lie · bulb · rule · field · wax

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mug — a face
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mug — to rob
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rule — a law
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. field — for sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cap — of ice
  18. rule — government
  19. mug — a cup
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. field — a subject

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