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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: roll · wound · stand · face · ball · wax · mug · rush

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. ball — a great time
  4. roll — a list
  5. mug — a cup
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mug — to rob
  9. ball — a dance
  10. stand — to bear
  11. face — to confront
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mug — a face
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. wax — to grow

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