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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.

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: rock · fine · wax · ball · wound · field · squash · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. rock — a stone
  6. squash — the sport
  7. ball — a dance
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. kid — child
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ball — a great time
  18. rock — music
  19. fine — high quality
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fine — all right
  24. field — farmland

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