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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 · wound · patient · wax · pound · court · lash · hide

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wax — to grow
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. face — to point toward
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. court — of law
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. court — for sport
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wound — an injury
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. court — of a king
  22. face — to confront
  23. pound — a weight
  24. wound — an injury

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