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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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. spell — magic
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bound — certain
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wax — to grow
  14. spell — letters
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bound — obliged
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mate — a friend
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mate — a partner

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