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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. swing — to play on
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cap — a hat
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cap — a lid
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. wind — moving air
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cell — in biology
  21. face — to confront
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. swing — music
  24. face — to point toward

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