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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
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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: face · content · wax · cap · pitcher · lie · track · stick

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wax — to grow
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. track — a path
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. lie — to recline
  15. track — a song
  16. cap — a hat
  17. content — happy
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. track — to keep track
  22. content — the amount
  23. face — to point toward
  24. lie — an untruth

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