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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. can — a tin
  6. face — to confront
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. face — part of the head
  9. content — happy
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rash — hasty
  15. game — a match
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. can — a tin
  19. rash — a series
  20. can — to be able to
  21. content — the amount
  22. date — the fruit
  23. face — to point toward
  24. content — videos and posts

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