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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: face · sharp · bulb · track · wax · net · kick · file

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. net — in sport
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bulb — for light
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. file — a tool
  9. track — a path
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bulb — for light
  12. net — for catching
  13. file — a document
  14. wax — to grow
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. face — to confront
  19. net — after costs
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. file — a line of people

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