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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mug — a cup
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. board — a committee
  9. face — to point toward
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. field — a subject
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mug — a face
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. file — a tool
  16. kick — in football
  17. field — farmland
  18. board — to get on
  19. file — a document
  20. field — for sport
  21. file — a line of people
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. face — to confront
  24. mug — to rob

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