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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: suit · field · wax · wound · key · last · lean · fork

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. last — final
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. suit — in cards
  7. key — for a lock
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. key — in music
  11. last — finally
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. last — to go on
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fork — in a road
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. key — the most important part
  23. suit — clothes
  24. lean — thin

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