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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. face — to point toward
  3. charge — a price
  4. wound — an injury
  5. can — a tin
  6. wax — to grow
  7. can — to be able to
  8. track — a song
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. charge — in control
  13. craft — a skill
  14. can — a tin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. snap — to click
  17. craft — boats
  18. track — a path
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. track — to keep track
  22. face — to confront
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. face — part of the head

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