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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: rest · wax · ball · tube · face · pass · fine · prune

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wax — to grow
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. ball — a great time
  10. fine — all right
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tube — a container
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ball — a dance
  18. face — to confront
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. rest — a break
  22. pass — a permit
  23. rest — what's left
  24. prune — the fruit

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