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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. face — part of the head
  5. file — a tool
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. spring — the season
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. net — in sport
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. file — a document
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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