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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: pop · ground · race · mug · can · field · fan · wax

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. pop — music
  2. ground — a position
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. can — to be able to
  11. race — humankind
  12. pop — soda
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mug — a cup
  17. race — a contest
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. field — farmland
  20. mug — a face
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pop — to visit
  23. field — for sport
  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