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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: suit · field · lie · sharp · wake · bear · bound · staff

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. sharp — clever
  3. lie — to recline
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bound — tied together
  6. suit — clothes
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bound — certain
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. field — farmland
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wake — a trail
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. bound — obliged
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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