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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
468
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: mine · bat · wax · wind · ruler · field · track · dip

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. track — a song
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. track — a path
  7. wax — to grow
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wind — moving air
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. field — for sport
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. field — farmland
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. ruler — a monarch

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