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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: wax · face · wind · leaves · pitch · object · last · perch

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. object — a thing
  5. last — finally
  6. perch — the fish
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wind — moving air
  13. object — an aim
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitch — completely
  18. last — to go on
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. object — to protest
  21. wax — to grow
  22. face — to point toward
  23. last — final
  24. wind — to turn a key

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