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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: cell · field · chair · bay · wax · fan · ground · rock

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. field — for sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rock — music
  15. ground — a position
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rock — a stone
  18. field — farmland
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. field — a subject
  22. wax — to grow
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wax — for sculpting

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