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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. net — in sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. face — to confront
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. face — part of the head
  10. root — of a word
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. root — the cause
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. net — for catching
  22. wax — to grow
  23. root — of a plant
  24. net — after costs

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