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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 124 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. face — part of the head
  3. capital — a city
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. capital — money
  6. spell — a short time
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spell — letters
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wound — an injury
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spell — magic
  16. wax — to grow
  17. drill — a practice
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. drill — the tool
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. face — to confront
  24. capital — a big letter

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