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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
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: cap · wax · rash · face · row · key · fall · fan

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. key — the most important part
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rash — a series
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fall — the season
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. row — a line
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cap — of ice
  17. key — in music
  18. face — part of the head
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. face — to confront
  22. key — for a lock
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — a lid

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