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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. face — part of the head
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wax — to grow
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. spring — of water
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. face — to confront
  9. can — to be able to
  10. face — to point toward
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. kick — in football
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. last — final
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. can — a tin
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. can — a tin

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