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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 116 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: perch · face · chip · staff · club · field · wax · lash

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. staff — employees
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. club — a group
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chip — for betting
  7. field — a subject
  8. staff — a stick
  9. face — to confront
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. perch — the fish
  12. chip — to eat
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. field — for sport
  16. staff — employees
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wax — to grow
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. club — for dancing
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. face — to point toward
  23. club — for golf
  24. face — part of the head

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