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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bank — for money
  4. face — part of the head
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. hand — in cards
  9. last — finally
  10. staff — employees
  11. bank — of a river
  12. last — final
  13. staff — employees
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. face — to point toward
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. hand — help
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bank — for money
  23. last — to go on
  24. hand — part of the body

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