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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. foot — a measure
  4. wax — to grow
  5. face — to confront
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bass — the fish
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bass — low music
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rest — what's left
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rest — a break
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. face — to point toward

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