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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: spell · roll · wake · field · foot · hide · wax · saw

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. field — a subject
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. spell — a short time
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. wake — a trail
  13. saw — the tool
  14. roll — a list
  15. field — for sport
  16. spell — magic
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. field — farmland
  21. spell — letters
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. foot — a measure

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