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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: wax · ground · chest · suit · shower · rush · face · leaves

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. face — to confront
  5. chest — a box
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. shower — to wash
  8. suit — in cards
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. shower — rain
  12. face — to point toward
  13. ground — a position
  14. suit — to fit
  15. rush — hurry
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. suit — clothes
  19. ground — crushed
  20. chest — of your body
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. ground — the earth
  23. chest — of your body
  24. leaves — to go away

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