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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: coach · rush · foot · face · leaves · march · wax · chest

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rush — hurry
  6. face — to point toward
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. face — part of the head
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. face — to confront
  15. march — the month
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. chest — a box
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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