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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. track — a song
  11. face — to point toward
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wax — to grow
  14. track — a path
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. track — to keep track
  20. swing — music
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. sharp — clever
  23. face — part of the head
  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