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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.

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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: hand · wax · craft · bass · toast · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bass — the fish
  3. craft — boats
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. face — to confront
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. craft — a skill
  15. hand — in cards
  16. toast — bread
  17. bass — low music
  18. wax — to grow

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