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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. capital — money
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bore — to drill
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bore — to tire
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. face — to confront
  22. capital — a city
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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