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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 116 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: firm · hand · plane · wax · coach · face · cold · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rule — government
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. firm — steady
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. plane — a tool
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. firm — decided
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. face — to point toward
  21. firm — a company
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cold — an illness

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