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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wax — to grow
  4. land — a country
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. land — ground
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cap — a lid
  11. club — a group
  12. cap — a hat
  13. face — to point toward
  14. branch — a division
  15. cap — of ice
  16. key — for a lock
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. land — to come down
  21. key — in music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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