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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: pitcher · lean · court · face · pop · wax · nail · fan

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pop — to visit
  6. lean — to bend
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wax — to grow
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. court — of law
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. pop — music
  16. lean — thin
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pop — soda
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pitcher — a jug

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