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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: leaves · lash · mate · club · face · wax · board · clip

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. face — to confront
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. board — a committee
  9. mate — to breed
  10. board — to get on
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. clip — a video
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mate — a friend
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. clip — to cut
  19. club — a group
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wax — to grow
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. face — part of the head

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