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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. roll — a cake
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. wax — to grow
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. drill — army training
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. drill — the tool
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. face — part of the head
  22. drill — a practice
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. roll — a list

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