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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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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: fine · last · foot · band · bore · wax · firm · field

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — decided
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bore — to tire
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. last — finally
  7. fine — all right
  8. last — to go on
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. fine — high quality
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. field — for sport
  16. last — final
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. band — a music group
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bore — to drill
  21. wax — to grow
  22. band — a ring
  23. firm — steady
  24. wax — for sculpting

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