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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 116 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 · rush · bore · face · fall · club · perch · game

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. game — wild animals
  5. perch — the fish
  6. face — to confront
  7. game — a match
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. club — for golf
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rush — hurry
  17. club — a group
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fall — the season
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to drill

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