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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. face — to confront
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bore — to tire
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pop — to visit
  15. lean — to bend
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. face — to point toward
  18. hand — in cards
  19. lean — thin
  20. hand — help
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. perch — for a bird

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