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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bound — tied together
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bound — certain
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bank — for money
  10. tear — from crying
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bank — of a river
  13. wax — to grow
  14. season — of the year
  15. cell — a phone
  16. face — to point toward
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bank — for money
  19. season — in sport
  20. bound — obliged
  21. tear — to rip
  22. face — to confront
  23. cell — in biology
  24. tear — from crying

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