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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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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: wax · cue · field · stock · rash · lie · net · drill

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. drill — a practice
  3. cue — a signal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. field — farmland
  6. net — in sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rash — hasty
  10. net — after costs
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rash — a series
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. net — for catching
  19. stock — shares
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. field — for sport
  22. cue — a hint
  23. drill — army training
  24. cue — for pool

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