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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: wax · mouse · band · season · wind · foot · kid · field

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — a subject
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. band — a music group
  8. season — of the year
  9. band — a ring
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. kid — to tease
  12. field — farmland
  13. kid — child
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wax — to grow
  16. field — for sport
  17. season — in sport
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. foot — part of the 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