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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
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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: roll · cabinet · spring · track · kid · clip · face · wax

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. kid — to tease
  3. track — a song
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. roll — a cake
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. clip — a video
  10. track — a path
  11. roll — a list
  12. face — to confront
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. face — to point toward
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. track — to keep track
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. kid — child
  22. wax — to grow
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. wax — in the ear

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