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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: cap · net · rock · scale · cabinet · face · wax · lash

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cap — a lid
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cap — of ice
  7. face — part of the head
  8. net — after costs
  9. face — to confront
  10. scale — in music
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rock — music
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. face — to point toward
  16. net — in sport
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. scale — size or range
  21. net — for catching
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cabinet — ministers

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