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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: mine · wake · stick · mate · bear · chest · field · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. mate — a friend
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. chest — a box
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mine — for digging
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bear — the animal
  19. field — for sport
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mate — to breed

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