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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: wax · pitcher · racket · lie · wound · face · season · capital

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wound — an injury
  6. season — of the year
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. face — to point toward
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. capital — a city
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. capital — money
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. lie — to recline
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. face — to confront

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