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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cold — not warm
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. firm — steady
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. face — to confront
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. face — to point toward
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cold — an illness
  13. scale — in music
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. firm — a company
  16. wax — to grow
  17. firm — decided
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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