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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · net · file · stick · bass · content · field · mark

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mark — a trace
  4. file — a line of people
  5. content — the amount
  6. field — for sport
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. field — farmland
  9. bass — low music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wax — to grow
  14. net — in sport
  15. file — a document
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. net — after costs
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. file — a tool
  21. net — for catching
  22. field — a subject
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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