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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · staff · stick · field · leaves · bark · wax · wound

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bark — to shout
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. staff — employees
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. staff — a stick
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mate — a friend
  20. staff — employees
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. field — a subject
  23. wax — to grow
  24. leaves — of a tree

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