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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 120 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: mug · chest · plane · drill · court · face · wax · scale

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. court — of law
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mug — a face
  6. drill — the tool
  7. court — for sport
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. court — of a king
  10. chest — a box
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. chest — of your body
  13. drill — army training
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wax — to grow
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. scale — in music
  20. face — to confront
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. face — to point toward
  23. drill — a practice
  24. plane — in geometry

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