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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.

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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: firm · face · foot · wax · field · hide · staff · mine

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. staff — employees
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. field — for sport
  6. staff — a stick
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. face — to point toward
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. staff — employees
  13. face — to confront
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — decided
  17. mine — for digging
  18. firm — a company
  19. field — farmland
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. face — part of the head
  23. foot — a measure
  24. mine — belonging to me

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