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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: field · foot · key · clip · stick · bore · pit · wax

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. clip — to cut
  8. key — for a lock
  9. field — for sport
  10. key — in music
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pit — in a race
  13. wax — to grow
  14. field — a subject
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pit — a hole
  24. field — farmland

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