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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wax — to grow
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. clip — a video
  10. tube — a container
  11. craft — boats
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. face — to confront
  18. bat — the animal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. tube — the underground
  21. face — part of the head
  22. clip — to cut
  23. craft — a skill
  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