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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: scale · wax · rest · lie · stand · chest · face · land

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. land — to come down
  5. face — to point toward
  6. wax — to grow
  7. scale — in music
  8. land — a country
  9. chest — a box
  10. face — part of the head
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. land — ground
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. scale — size or range
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. face — to confront
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rest — a break
  24. lie — to recline

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