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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 120 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. wax — to grow
  5. field — for sport
  6. mate — to breed
  7. field — farmland
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. stand — to bear
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. staff — employees
  12. pound — a weight
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. field — a subject
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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