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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 120 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: temple · wound · bat · face · press · spell · rest · wax

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wound — an injury
  7. press — newspapers
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rest — what's left
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wound — an injury
  16. spell — a short time
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. face — to confront
  22. bat — the animal
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. press — a publisher

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