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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. march — music
  3. face — part of the head
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rush — hurry
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. clip — a video
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. clip — to cut
  14. lie — to recline
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. march — the month
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. march — the month
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. face — to confront

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