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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: toast · wax · field · spell · clip · cabinet · staff · swing

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. field — farmland
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — a subject
  7. staff — employees
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. swing — to play on
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wax — to grow
  13. spell — a short time
  14. swing — music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. clip — for paper
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. clip — a video
  19. spell — letters
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. swing — in golf
  22. spell — magic
  23. toast — bread
  24. staff — employees

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