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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rash · ground · field · spring · can · wax · mug · spell

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. spring — of water
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. spring — the season
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mug — to rob
  8. spell — letters
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mug — a face
  11. ground — a position
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spell — magic
  15. mug — a cup
  16. ground — the earth
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rash — a series
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. field — for sport
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wax — for sculpting

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