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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 116 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: trunk · pop · game · mark · face · lash · wave · wax

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pop — soda
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. game — a match
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. face — to confront
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pop — music
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pop — to visit
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wax — in the ear

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