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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: bay · wax · hand · net · pound · lash · toast · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. hand — help
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wax — to grow
  15. toast — bread
  16. net — in sport
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. net — after costs

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