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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: net · snap · season · wound · lean · field · wax · vault

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. net — for catching
  4. lean — to bend
  5. snap — to click
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. net — after costs
  8. wax — to grow
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. field — a subject
  11. lean — thin
  12. net — in sport
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wound — an injury
  15. season — of the year
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. season — in sport
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. vault — a safe
  24. season — to add flavour

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