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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: rule · wax · face · cell · lean · fine · rest · coach

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. fine — all right
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rest — a break
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wax — to grow
  14. lean — thin
  15. fine — high quality
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. face — part of the head
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. face — to point toward

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