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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 116 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: hide · suit · band · court · leaves · field · wax · season

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. court — of law
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. field — for sport
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. season — of the year
  9. field — farmland
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. season — in sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. court — for sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. band — a ring
  17. field — a subject
  18. suit — clothes
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. suit — in cards
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

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