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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: field · lie · bass · deal · charge · squash · wax · roll

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. squash — the sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. roll — a list
  9. bass — the fish
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bass — low music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. roll — a cake
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. lie — to recline
  21. squash — to crush
  22. charge — in control
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — a big deal

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