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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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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: wound · chair · mug · mouse · wax · field · suit · lean

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. suit — to fit
  3. wound — an injury
  4. field — for sport
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chair — a leader
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. suit — clothes
  18. mug — a face
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mug — a cup
  21. lean — thin
  22. suit — in cards
  23. field — a subject
  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