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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: face · ball · swing · wax · last · stem · content · bound

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. last — to go on
  4. face — to point toward
  5. last — finally
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bound — obliged
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bound — certain
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. face — part of the head
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. ball — a dance
  15. face — to confront
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bound — tied together
  20. swing — music
  21. content — the amount
  22. stem — to come from
  23. content — happy
  24. last — final

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