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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. field — for sport
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. field — farmland
  7. band — a ring
  8. file — a document
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. band — a music group
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. field — a subject
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wax — to grow
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wake — a trail
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. lean — thin
  24. coach — a trainer

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