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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. roll — a cake
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. face — to point toward
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. face — to confront
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. roll — a list
  16. snap — to click
  17. bound — certain
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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