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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: bore · press · plane · wax · craft · field · coach · mouse

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wax — to grow
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. craft — boats
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bore — to drill
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. plane — a tool

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