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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: firm · content · object · field · kick · wax · lie · straw

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. object — to protest
  4. wax — to grow
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. object — an aim
  8. field — farmland
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. field — a subject
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. kick — in football
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lie — to recline
  17. firm — steady
  18. content — happy
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. field — for sport
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. firm — a company
  23. object — a thing
  24. content — the amount

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