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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: lie · roll · wax · rock · snap · chest · rash · field

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. field — for sport
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rock — music
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lie — to recline
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. snap — to click
  17. rash — hasty
  18. field — farmland
  19. rash — a series
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. chest — a box
  22. field — a subject
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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