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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: face · band · mark · wax · rock · key · pass · shower

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. pass — a permit
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. rock — music
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. shower — to wash
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. key — for a lock
  12. band — a ring
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mark — a grade
  19. band — a music group
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rock — a stone
  23. shower — rain
  24. pass — to succeed

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