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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fine — all right
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bear — the animal
  19. face — to confront
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. fine — a penalty

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