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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: rock · fan · stand · wax · cue · mine · field · cap

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. field — a subject
  6. rock — music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cue — a hint
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cue — for pool
  13. field — for sport
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cap — a lid
  22. field — farmland
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cue — a signal

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