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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. spring — of water
  5. last — to go on
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. spring — the season
  9. last — final
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wound — an injury
  13. face — part of the head
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. last — finally
  16. rest — a break
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rest — what's left
  19. face — to confront
  20. pop — soda
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rest — what's left

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