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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: mate · season · band · wax · trunk · content · bound · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. band — a music group
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bound — certain
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. field — farmland
  10. content — happy
  11. bound — obliged
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. content — the amount
  16. band — a ring
  17. wax — to grow
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mate — to breed
  21. season — of the year
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. field — for sport
  24. season — in 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