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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: pit · mark · spring · face · net · wax · coach · band

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. band — a music group
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. spring — the season
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. spring — a coil
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pit — in a race
  14. band — a ring
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wax — to grow
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. face — to point toward
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. net — in sport
  23. spring — of water
  24. face — part of the head

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