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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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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: bay · file · press · snap · object · wax · wound · field

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. file — a line of people
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. field — for sport
  5. object — to protest
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. file — a document
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. press — to push
  15. wound — an injury
  16. field — farmland
  17. wound — an injury
  18. object — a thing
  19. press — a publisher
  20. snap — to click
  21. wax — to grow
  22. press — newspapers
  23. file — a tool
  24. field — a subject

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