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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wax — to grow
  3. face — part of the head
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bore — to tire
  7. chest — a box
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. snap — to click
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bore — to drill
  17. face — to point toward
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. face — to confront

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