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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. content — the amount
  9. cold — not warm
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. chest — of your body
  12. face — part of the head
  13. content — happy
  14. face — to confront
  15. lie — to recline
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bank — for money
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bank — for money
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bank — of a river
  22. face — to point toward
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. chest — a box

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