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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: season · face · track · key · sharp · wind · dip · wax

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wind — moving air
  3. face — to confront
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. face — to point toward
  6. track — to keep track
  7. season — in sport
  8. face — part of the head
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — of the year
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. track — a path
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wax — to grow
  21. track — a song
  22. key — the most important part
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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