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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. drill — army training
  3. staff — employees
  4. cell — in biology
  5. lean — thin
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fall — the season
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. lean — to bend
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cell — a phone
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — to get on
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. lean — to rest against

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