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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · suit · field · wax · season · kick · net · cell

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. net — in sport
  3. suit — in cards
  4. field — farmland
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cell — in biology
  8. kick — in football
  9. wax — to grow
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. net — after costs
  12. suit — clothes
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. wound — an injury
  21. season — of the year
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wound — an injury
  24. suit — to fit

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