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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: face · squash · wax · chair · bowl · fall · staff · branch

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wax — to grow
  5. face — to point toward
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fall — the season
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. staff — employees
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. squash — to crush
  16. staff — employees
  17. branch — a division
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. face — to confront
  22. staff — a stick
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chair — a leader

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