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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rash — a series
  3. fall — the season
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wax — to grow
  8. current — electric
  9. net — for catching
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. degree — temperature
  15. current — happening now
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mug — a face
  19. face — to confront
  20. current — of water
  21. net — in sport
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. net — after costs

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