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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 120 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: hand · cell · kick · stand · trunk · wax · face · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cell — a phone
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wax — to grow
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. face — to confront
  13. stand — to bear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. hand — part of the body

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