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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
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: stand · last · kid · wax · face · rash · wound · bulb

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. last — to go on
  9. stand — to bear
  10. kid — child
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bulb — for light
  14. last — final
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wax — to grow
  18. last — finally
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rash — a series
  22. face — to confront
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kid — to tease

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