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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 · bat · sharp · bound · cabinet · safe · wax · cap

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. face — to confront
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bound — certain
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cap — a hat
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wax — to grow

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