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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. roll — a cake
  14. face — part of the head
  15. roll — a list
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. face — to confront
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. season — in sport
  24. bark — to shout

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