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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 · stand · bay · field · mug · spell · firm · bat

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. spell — magic
  6. mug — a cup
  7. field — for sport
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. firm — steady
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bat — the animal
  17. firm — a company
  18. field — farmland
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. mug — a face
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — to bear
  23. spell — letters
  24. field — a subject

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