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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 · firm · wax · bay · perch · wind · bore · rash

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bore — to tire
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wind — moving air
  8. firm — steady
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rash — a series
  16. firm — decided
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. firm — a company
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wax — to grow

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