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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pass — a permit
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bound — certain
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wax — to grow
  17. face — to confront
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bound — tied together
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rest — a break
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. wake — a trail

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