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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: fork · chest · face · coach · game · mark · wax · kid

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fork — in a road
  5. mark — a grade
  6. kid — to tease
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. face — to confront
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. face — to point toward
  13. chest — of your body
  14. game — a match
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. game — wild animals
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. kid — child
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mark — a trace
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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