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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.

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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: bound · mark · drill · band · lie · snap · wax · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bound — obliged
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mark — a grade
  7. drill — army training
  8. bound — certain
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. field — for sport
  12. band — a ring
  13. drill — a practice
  14. band — a music group
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. lie — to recline
  17. snap — to click
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. field — a subject
  22. bound — tied together
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mark — a trace

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