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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. last — finally
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. can — a tin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wax — to grow
  8. face — to confront
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. face — part of the head
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. last — final
  17. lean — thin
  18. clip — to cut
  19. can — a tin
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. clip — a video
  24. last — to go on

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