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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: face · prune · nail · bay · bound · mine · wax · race

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. face — part of the head
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bound — certain
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — humankind
  14. face — to confront
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wax — to grow
  17. race — a contest
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bound — obliged
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bound — tied together
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. face — to point toward

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