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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. current — electric
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fine — all right
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fine — high quality
  8. season — of the year
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. current — happening now
  12. rash — hasty
  13. roll — a cake
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. current — of water
  16. roll — a list
  17. face — to confront
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. season — in sport
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. face — to point toward

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