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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. fall — to drop
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fall — to drop
  9. roll — a cake
  10. can — a tin
  11. squash — the sport
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. fall — the season
  20. can — a tin
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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