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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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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: club · face · stem · firm · wax · fine · hand · snap

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. club — a group
  7. firm — a company
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. face — to point toward
  10. snap — to click
  11. firm — decided
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. club — for golf
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stem — to come from
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fine — all right
  21. firm — steady
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stem — of a plant

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