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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: wax · pop · firm · face · spring · kick · land · branch

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. spring — of water
  4. firm — steady
  5. spring — the season
  6. face — to confront
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — decided
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. kick — in football
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. face — to point toward
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pop — music
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wax — to grow
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. land — ground
  24. kick — a thrill

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