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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: kid · stick · wax · land · firm · fine · field · drill

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. land — a country
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. drill — the tool
  7. kid — to tease
  8. drill — a practice
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fine — all right
  11. drill — army training
  12. land — to come down
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kid — child
  15. fine — high quality
  16. firm — steady
  17. land — ground
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. field — for sport
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. field — farmland
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — decided

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