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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rule — government
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bound — certain
  7. saw — the tool
  8. face — to confront
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bound — tied together
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. face — part of the head
  17. fall — the season
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — a law
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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