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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wave · game · cabinet · mug · face · wake · wax · fall

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mug — a face
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fall — the season
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. fall — to drop
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mug — a cup
  23. game — a match
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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