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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. foot — a measure
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pass — a permit
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. squash — to crush
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. wax — in the ear

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