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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: content · tube · fall · pit · safe · lean · field · wax

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. field — a subject
  4. fall — the season
  5. pit — in a race
  6. content — happy
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. lean — thin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pit — a hole
  15. content — the amount
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. tube — a container
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wax — to grow
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. field — for sport
  22. tube — the underground
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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