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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bank — for money
  4. cell — a phone
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wax — to grow
  10. face — to confront
  11. bank — of a river
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bank — for money
  16. cap — of ice
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. club — a group
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. club — for golf
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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