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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: face · cue · kick · spell · band · wax · bank · ground

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. face — to point toward
  2. band — a music group
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bank — of a river
  5. spell — letters
  6. cue — a hint
  7. ground — a position
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wax — to grow
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bank — for money
  13. cue — for pool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. band — a ring
  17. bank — for money
  18. face — to confront
  19. spell — magic
  20. face — part of the head
  21. kick — in football
  22. cue — a signal
  23. wax — in the ear
  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