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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: field · bound · rash · leaves · wax · date · hide · wave

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. field — a subject
  8. rash — a series
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. field — for sport
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. field — farmland
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wave — of the sea
  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