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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. can — a tin
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. capital — a city
  9. wax — to grow
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fine — high quality
  13. plane — a tool
  14. capital — money
  15. fine — all right
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. face — part of the head
  22. can — a tin
  23. face — to point toward
  24. kick — in football

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