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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: current · hide · toast · press · drill · field · wax · bay

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. current — electric
  3. toast — bread
  4. field — for sport
  5. current — of water
  6. press — to push
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — newspapers
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. drill — army training
  15. field — a subject
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. drill — a practice
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. drill — the tool
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wax — to grow
  22. current — happening now
  23. field — farmland
  24. wax — for sculpting

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