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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: can · field · season · bat · suit · row · wax · present

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. row — to paddle
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. row — a line
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. suit — in cards
  8. field — farmland
  9. suit — to fit
  10. present — a gift
  11. can — to be able to
  12. present — there
  13. field — a subject
  14. present — the time now
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. season — in sport
  17. bat — the animal
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. can — a tin
  21. field — for sport
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. can — a tin

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