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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cap — a lid
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wax — to grow
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. tube — a container
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mug — a face
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tube — the underground
  13. mug — a cup
  14. chip — for betting
  15. face — to confront
  16. wound — an injury
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. chair — a leader
  22. mug — to rob
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. cap — of ice

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