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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: fine · coach · bulb · clip · chest · field · present · wax

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. field — a subject
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. present — there
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. chest — a box
  8. field — for sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. clip — a video
  13. present — the time now
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — high quality
  19. field — farmland
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. chest — of your body

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