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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: face · cabinet · ball · wax · nail · lean · calf · chest

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. lean — to bend
  4. face — to confront
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. ball — a great time
  10. face — to point toward
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wax — to grow
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chest — a box
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. chest — of your body
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lean — thin
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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