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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · wax · face · leaves · mug · kid · ball · fan

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. kid — to tease
  4. net — for catching
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. face — to confront
  7. mug — to rob
  8. ball — a dance
  9. net — in sport
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. net — after costs
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. kid — child
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. ball — a great time
  22. face — part of the head
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wax — in the ear

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