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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.

Words on the sheet
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: field · wax · hide · rash · mug · wound · club · cap

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wound — an injury
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mug — a cup
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rash — hasty
  10. club — a group
  11. field — a subject
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mug — a face
  18. field — farmland
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. club — for golf
  21. rash — a series
  22. field — for sport
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cap — a lid

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