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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. kick — in football
  3. wound — an injury
  4. face — to confront
  5. game — wild animals
  6. face — to point toward
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wax — to grow
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. club — for golf
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. stem — to come from
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. club — for dancing
  23. game — a match
  24. stem — a stem cell

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