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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wax · squash · pop · calf · cold · rash · chest

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. rash — a series
  3. chest — a box
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pop — music
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. face — to point toward
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cold — not warm
  12. face — to confront
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pop — soda
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pop — to visit
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wax — for sculpting

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