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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: season · wax · foot · wound · ground · content · object · lie

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. object — to protest
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wax — to grow
  9. object — an aim
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. wound — an injury
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. ground — crushed
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ground — the earth
  18. season — in sport
  19. wound — an injury
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. object — a thing
  22. foot — a measure
  23. ground — a position
  24. season — of the year

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