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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · roll · wake · row · face · fork · net · wax

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. net — for catching
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wax — to grow
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. row — to paddle
  13. roll — a list
  14. net — after costs
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. net — in sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. row — a line

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