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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 · present · nail · wax · track · rash · tear · drill

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. tear — from crying
  3. present — a gift
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rash — a series
  8. tear — to rip
  9. face — to confront
  10. drill — a practice
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. tear — from crying
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. drill — army training
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. present — the time now
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. present — there

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