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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: lie · field · toast · wax · pop · present · ground · cabinet

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pop — soda
  4. present — there
  5. present — a gift
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. field — a subject
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. pop — music
  14. lie — to recline
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. present — the time now
  17. ground — a position
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. field — for sport
  22. toast — bread
  23. field — farmland
  24. ground — the earth

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