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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: straw · swing · charge · pit · field · lie · can · wax

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. can — a tin
  3. swing — music
  4. field — farmland
  5. charge — in control
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. lie — to recline
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. can — to be able to
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pit — a hole
  12. swing — to play on
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. pit — in a race
  16. charge — electricity
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. can — a tin
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. charge — a price
  24. wax — to grow

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