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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: mark · coach · present · ground · wax · plane · chest · face

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. face — part of the head
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ground — a position
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — to grow
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. chest — a box
  12. face — to confront
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. present — the time now
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. plane — a tool
  17. present — a gift
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. chest — of your body
  21. present — there
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mark — a trace
  24. chest — of your body

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