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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: arm · wake · wax · fall · ground · capital · toast · face

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ground — a position
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. capital — a city
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. ground — the earth
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. face — to point toward
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. fall — the season
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. toast — bread
  20. wake — a trail
  21. ground — crushed
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wax — to grow
  24. capital — money

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