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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. face — to confront
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. current — electric
  14. pop — soda
  15. current — of water
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pop — music
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bat — the animal
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. face — to point toward
  24. current — happening now

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