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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: kid · wax · field · board · chip · cell · hide · last

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. field — for sport
  5. chip — to eat
  6. last — to go on
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cell — in biology
  9. last — finally
  10. board — to get on
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. wax — to grow
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. last — final
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kid — child
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. board — a committee
  24. field — farmland

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