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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. wound — an injury
  3. season — in sport
  4. drill — a practice
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wax — to grow
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. game — wild animals
  10. drill — army training
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. face — to confront
  15. drill — the tool
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wound — an injury
  18. tube — a container
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. game — a match
  23. season — of the year
  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