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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 120 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. foot — a measure
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. clip — a video
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. cue — a signal
  9. file — a tool
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. face — part of the head
  13. clip — to cut
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cue — for pool
  16. face — to confront
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wax — to grow
  19. file — a document
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cue — a hint
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. foot — part of the body

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