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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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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: wind · field · chair · wax · nail · object

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. field — a subject
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. object — to protest
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. field — farmland
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wax — to grow
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing

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