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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: field · firm · season · bulb · net · bat · sharp · wax

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. season — in sport
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. firm — a company
  6. field — for sport
  7. wax — to grow
  8. net — after costs
  9. bat — the animal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. net — in sport
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bulb — for light
  15. season — of the year
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — steady
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. net — for catching
  20. field — farmland
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. field — a subject
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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