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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: stand · content · pitcher · face · kid · wax · toast · dip

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. face — part of the head
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. content — happy
  12. face — to point toward
  13. kid — child
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. dip — to sink
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. kid — to tease
  22. toast — bread
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. toast — the most admired

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