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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: band · clip · sharp · face · wax · board · mate · lean

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  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. wax — in the ear
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mate — to breed
  5. face — to point toward
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. band — a ring
  8. board — a committee
  9. lean — to bend
  10. band — a music group
  11. lean — thin
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mate — a friend
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. face — to confront
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. board — to get on
  23. mate — a partner
  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