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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: bear · last · wax · present · face · jam · kid · nail

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. present — the time now
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wax — to grow
  5. face — to point toward
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bear — the animal
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — there
  11. last — finally
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. last — final
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. face — to confront
  19. last — to go on
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. kid — child
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — in traffic

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