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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rash — a series
  3. wax — to grow
  4. face — to point toward
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. spring — of water
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. kick — in football
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rash — hasty
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. spring — a coil
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. spring — the season
  22. tear — from crying
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. face — part of the head

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