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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 116 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: wax · fan · face · scale · rush · ball · race · fall

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. ball — a great time
  3. race — humankind
  4. scale — in music
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fall — to drop
  9. face — to confront
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. race — a contest
  16. wax — to grow
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. fall — the season
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ball — a dance
  22. race — the arms race
  23. fall — to drop
  24. face — part of the head

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