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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. shower — to wash
  5. face — to confront
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bulb — for light
  12. current — of water
  13. rash — a series
  14. shower — rain
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. current — electric
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bulb — for light
  24. current — happening now

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