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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: foot · deal · rash · row · wax · branch · season · field

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. branch — a division
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. season — in sport
  7. field — for sport
  8. row — to paddle
  9. field — a subject
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. field — farmland
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. foot — a measure
  16. season — of the year
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rash — hasty

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