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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
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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: press · field · wound · pit · wax · perch · staff · calf

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. press — a publisher
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wound — an injury
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pit — in a race
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. press — to push
  20. staff — employees
  21. field — farmland
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. perch — the fish
  24. staff — employees

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