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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.

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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 · lash · pitcher · ball · face · board · march · bark

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. face — part of the head
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. face — to confront
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wax — to grow
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. board — a committee
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. march — music
  21. bark — to shout
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bark — of a tree

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