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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: wind · cell · wax · face · cap · lean · craft · mark

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mark — a grade
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. lean — thin
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. craft — boats
  17. face — to confront
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wax — to grow

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