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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wound — an injury
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. face — part of the head
  11. date — the fruit
  12. hand — help
  13. cell — a phone
  14. can — a tin
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. face — to confront
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wound — an injury
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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