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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 · game · coach · bulb · straw · rule · wax · spell

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. spell — a short time
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. spell — letters
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. face — part of the head
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. wax — to grow
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. face — to confront
  23. game — wild animals
  24. spell — magic

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