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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: content · wax · lie · mine · perch · fall · patient · field

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. content — the amount
  3. fall — the season
  4. mine — for digging
  5. field — a subject
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fall — to drop
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. field — for sport
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. field — farmland
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. lie — to recline
  20. fall — to drop
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. content — happy
  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