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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: saw · suit · bat · bay · stand · wax · face · wound

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. suit — in cards
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. face — to confront
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. suit — to fit
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bat — the animal
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. suit — clothes

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