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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. tear — from crying
  6. squash — the sport
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tear — to rip
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. current — of water
  18. face — to confront
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wax — to grow
  21. tear — from crying
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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