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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: mouse · face · wax · ground · coach · cell · bat · stick

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. face — to confront
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. face — part of the head
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. ground — a position
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cell — a phone
  22. ground — crushed
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bat — the animal

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