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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 120 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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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: field · row · bay · wax · lean · stem · fall · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. fall — the season
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — a subject
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. field — for sport
  12. lean — thin
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. lean — to bend
  15. fall — to drop
  16. field — farmland
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wax — to grow
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a line
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stem — a stem cell

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