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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
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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: pop · pound · face · land · firm · cell · dip · wax

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. face — to point toward
  5. wax — to grow
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. land — to come down
  10. firm — decided
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. face — to confront
  15. cell — a phone
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pop — music
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. land — a country
  21. cell — in biology
  22. firm — a company
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. land — ground

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