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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pound — a weight
  3. current — electric
  4. face — to point toward
  5. file — a tool
  6. cap — a lid
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cap — a hat
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. file — a document
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. current — of water
  20. cue — for pool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. face — to confront
  24. current — happening now

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