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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.

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: wax · patient · fan · trunk · face · cap · kick · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wax — to grow
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cap — a lid
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. face — to confront
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. kick — in football
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cap — a hat
  24. fan — a supporter

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