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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: fine · mark · last · staff · saw · field · wax · land

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. field — farmland
  3. saw — the tool
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. last — finally
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wax — to grow
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. mark — a trace
  11. land — to come down
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. land — ground
  18. last — final
  19. field — a subject
  20. fine — all right
  21. field — for sport
  22. last — to go on
  23. land — a country
  24. saw — the tool

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