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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 · wax · suit · racket · date · spring · foot · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wax — to grow
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. suit — to fit
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mark — a trace
  7. date — the fruit
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. face — to confront
  11. foot — a measure
  12. suit — clothes
  13. face — part of the head
  14. suit — in cards
  15. mark — a grade
  16. spring — a coil
  17. face — to point toward
  18. spring — of water
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spring — the season
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. racket — a loud noise

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