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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.

Make a worksheet

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: hand · wax · craft · bass · toast · face · prune · straw

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bass — low music
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. face — to point toward
  12. craft — a skill
  13. wax — to grow
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. bass — the fish
  17. face — to confront
  18. craft — boats
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. hand — in cards
  22. prune — to trim
  23. toast — bread
  24. wax — for sculpting

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