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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. root — of a plant
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. root — of a word
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. root — the cause
  17. mark — a grade
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wax — to grow

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