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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wax — to grow
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. band — a ring
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. face — to confront
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. band — a music group
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. scale — in music
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. rash — a series
  24. dip — a sauce

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