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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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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: kick · cell · chair · wax · plane · face · date · perch

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cell — in biology
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. kick — in football
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cell — a phone
  23. face — to confront
  24. date — the fruit

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