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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 116 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: charge · straw · bay · bound · lean · lie · field · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. field — a subject
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. charge — in control
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wax — to grow
  14. charge — a price
  15. lean — thin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. field — farmland
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bound — certain
  24. field — for sport

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