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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. chest — a box
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. face — to point toward
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pop — soda
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lean — to bend
  19. face — part of the head
  20. stock — shares
  21. lean — thin
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — music
  24. face — to confront

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