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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. face — to confront
  7. wax — to grow
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bass — the fish
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bass — low music
  24. hide — animal skin

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