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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. march — music
  2. face — to confront
  3. content — the amount
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. mark — a trace
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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