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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. fine — high quality
  3. can — a tin
  4. rule — a law
  5. stem — to come from
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. can — a tin
  10. fine — all right
  11. rule — government
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fine — a penalty

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