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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bound — certain
  4. spell — a short time
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. root — of a plant
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. root — the cause
  12. face — to point toward
  13. file — a document
  14. face — part of the head
  15. root — of a word
  16. wax — to grow
  17. spell — magic
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. kick — in football
  22. spell — letters
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. lie — an untruth

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