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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 · bass · wax · branch · lie · coach · perch · club

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. club — for golf
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. bass — the fish
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. lie — to recline
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. club — for dancing
  17. face — part of the head
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bass — low music
  21. branch — a division
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. club — a group
  24. branch — of a tree

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