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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: lean · leaves · bass · wax · field · wound · bear · can

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bass — the fish
  9. lean — thin
  10. wax — to grow
  11. can — a tin
  12. field — farmland
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. lean — to bend
  24. field — for sport

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