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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: fall · lash · saw · face · chip · wax · club · land

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. face — to point toward
  4. saw — the tool
  5. club — for dancing
  6. land — ground
  7. chip — for betting
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fall — the season
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for golf
  13. land — a country
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. land — to come down
  16. chip — to eat
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wax — to grow
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fall — to drop
  22. face — to confront
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chip — in a computer

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