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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · bay · fan · bowl · field · game · row · lie

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. field — for sport
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wax — to grow
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. field — farmland
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lie — to recline
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. field — a subject

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