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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 116 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stem — to come from
  3. chip — for betting
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mate — a friend
  8. face — part of the head
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cap — a hat
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. face — to point toward
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bear — the animal
  23. face — to confront
  24. cap — a lid

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