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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 · rush · firm · stand · bank · face · saw

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bank — for money
  4. firm — steady
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. field — farmland
  7. face — part of the head
  8. field — for sport
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. firm — a company
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. firm — decided
  18. stand — to bear
  19. face — to point toward
  20. saw — the tool
  21. field — a subject
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. face — to confront
  24. bank — of a river

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