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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: field · chest · cell · bear · wound · wax · scale · can

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chest — of your body
  5. scale — size or range
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. scale — in music
  10. cell — in biology
  11. chest — a box
  12. can — a tin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. can — a tin
  15. field — farmland
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. field — a subject
  21. wax — to grow
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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