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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. face — to confront
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wax — to grow
  7. field — farmland
  8. present — the time now
  9. fine — all right
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mate — to breed
  12. field — for sport
  13. present — there
  14. fine — high quality
  15. field — a subject
  16. mate — a friend
  17. shower — rain
  18. face — part of the head
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. present — a gift
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. calf — of the leg

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