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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
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 · wax · charge · suit · straw · squash · field · lie

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. charge — electricity
  4. suit — clothes
  5. field — farmland
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. suit — in cards
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. field — a subject
  11. charge — a price
  12. squash — the sport
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. squash — to crush
  19. field — for sport
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. charge — in control
  23. rock — a stone
  24. lie — to recline

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