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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. dip — to sink
  4. cue — a signal
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lie — to recline
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spring — the season
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. staff — employees
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. spring — of water
  18. wax — to grow
  19. staff — employees
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cue — for pool
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bulb — for light
  24. staff — a stick

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