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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: saw · straw · racket · rush · wax · face · lie · drill

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. drill — a practice
  6. saw — the tool
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. drill — army training
  12. face — part of the head
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. drill — the tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. lie — to recline
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wax — to grow
  24. lie — an untruth

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