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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: rash · cabinet · face · bat · wax · snap · tube · saw

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. saw — the tool
  5. face — to point toward
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wax — to grow
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. face — to confront
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rash — hasty
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. tube — a container
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bat — the animal

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