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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: stand · saw · field · foot · perch · wax · fall · ground

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. field — for sport
  8. ground — crushed
  9. foot — a measure
  10. field — farmland
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. fall — to drop
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ground — the earth
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fall — the season
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. ground — a position
  22. perch — the fish
  23. field — a subject
  24. foot — part of the body

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