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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. face — to confront
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. bound — tied together
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wax — to grow
  13. face — to point toward
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. present — the time now
  24. bound — certain

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