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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 120 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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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 · field · fine · fork · pass · bore · chest · wake

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. fine — all right
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. field — a subject
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. chest — a box
  18. field — for sport
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fine — high quality

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