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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pop — music
  3. object — an aim
  4. charge — a price
  5. object — to protest
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. object — a thing
  12. pop — soda
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. charge — electricity
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. charge — in control
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. face — to point toward
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ruler — a monarch

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