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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 116 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: hide · ball · wax · fall · lean · spell · rash · field

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fall — the season
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ball — a great time
  15. spell — letters
  16. fall — to drop
  17. ball — a dance
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. lean — thin
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rash — hasty

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