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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: hand · prune · face · net · firm · wax · squash · file

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wax — to grow
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. face — to confront
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. firm — steady
  8. prune — to trim
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. file — a tool
  16. face — to point toward
  17. file — a document
  18. face — part of the head
  19. hand — help
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. prune — to trim
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — decided
  24. squash — the sport

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