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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: wax · field · wind · lean · club · cap · sharp · perch

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. field — for sport
  3. sharp — clever
  4. field — a subject
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. club — a group
  7. lean — thin
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cap — of ice
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wind — moving air
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. field — farmland
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cap — a hat
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. cap — a lid

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