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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: wax · cabinet · leaves · hand · season · field · calf · toast

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. toast — bread
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hand — in cards
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. hand — help

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