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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 · date · object · bass · fall · face · cell · toast

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fall — to drop
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. date — the fruit
  12. cell — a phone
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — a thing
  15. fall — the season
  16. face — part of the head
  17. object — an aim
  18. wax — to grow
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. toast — bread
  23. bass — the fish
  24. date — on the calendar

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