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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: present · mate · can · wax · drill · clip · bass · field

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bass — the fish
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. field — for sport
  6. present — there
  7. mate — a friend
  8. clip — for paper
  9. present — the time now
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. present — a gift
  13. can — a tin
  14. field — a subject
  15. bass — low music
  16. mate — a partner
  17. clip — a video
  18. field — farmland
  19. drill — army training
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. clip — to cut
  22. drill — the tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. mate — to breed

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