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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.

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
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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: nail · face · wound · ground · court · wax · root · lash

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. court — of a king
  4. ground — a position
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wax — to grow
  7. root — the cause
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wound — an injury
  11. root — of a word
  12. court — of law
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. face — to point toward
  17. court — for sport
  18. root — of a plant
  19. ground — the earth
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. face — to confront
  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