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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: leaves · face · staff · wax · pop · content · squash · racket

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. staff — a stick
  5. squash — the sport
  6. staff — employees
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wax — to grow
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. pop — soda
  13. staff — employees
  14. pop — music
  15. squash — to crush
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pop — to visit
  20. face — to point toward
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. face — part of the head
  24. leaves — lets stay

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