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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 120 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: net · wax · field · chip · lean · lie · bass · racket

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. chip — to eat
  3. net — after costs
  4. bass — the fish
  5. chip — for betting
  6. net — in sport
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wax — to grow
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. lean — thin
  18. field — for sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. bass — low music
  24. lie — an untruth

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