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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: mark · tube · club · wax · bulb · court · field · ground

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. tube — the underground
  3. ground — a position
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. court — of law
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. ground — the earth
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wax — to grow
  12. field — farmland
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. court — of a king
  15. club — a group
  16. bulb — for light
  17. field — a subject
  18. mark — a grade
  19. court — for sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wax — in the ear

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