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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: wave · wax · cell · nail · face · fall · toast · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. fall — the season
  6. cell — a phone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. face — to confront
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. toast — bread
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. face — part of the head

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