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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 116 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: kick · leaves · field · wound · wax · wind · key · dip

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wind — moving air
  6. field — farmland
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wax — to grow
  11. kick — in football
  12. wound — an injury
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. dip — to sink
  23. key — for a lock
  24. dip — to dunk

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