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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: stand · calf · key · press · leaves · drill · wax · field

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. field — farmland
  3. key — in music
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. drill — the tool
  8. field — for sport
  9. drill — a practice
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. press — to push
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wax — to grow
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. field — a subject
  17. press — a publisher
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. drill — army training
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. press — newspapers
  24. stand — on your feet

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