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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. face — to confront
  3. wax — to grow
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. tear — from crying
  7. band — a music group
  8. wound — an injury
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. wound — an injury
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. tear — to rip
  17. band — a ring
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. deal — to handle
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. roll — a list
  23. tear — from crying
  24. deal — a big deal

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