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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: lie · season · wax · trunk · wake · suit · field · rock

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wake — a trail
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. season — in sport
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. season — of the year
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. suit — clothes
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lie — to recline
  15. field — for sport
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. field — a subject
  19. suit — to fit
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. field — farmland
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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