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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: wound · lash · key · drill · wax · straw · bear · face

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. key — for a lock
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. key — the most important part
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wax — to grow
  8. face — part of the head
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. key — in music
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. face — to confront
  19. drill — army training
  20. bear — the animal
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. face — to point toward
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bear — the animal

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