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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 116 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: stick · cabinet · cell · tear · wax · face · hand · lash

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cell — in biology
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. face — to confront
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. hand — help
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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