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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: saw · straw · cell · wax · lie · face · sharp · patient

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cell — a phone
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. saw — the tool
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. saw — the tool
  11. sharp — clever
  12. face — to point toward
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lie — to recline
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wax — to grow
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. cell — in a prison

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