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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 120 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. season — of the year
  5. wax — to grow
  6. band — a ring
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. band — a music group
  13. snap — to click
  14. face — part of the head
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. face — to point toward
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. perch — the fish
  22. stock — goods
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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