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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. tube — the underground
  3. staff — a stick
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. face — part of the head
  6. snap — to click
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. staff — employees
  9. face — to confront
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. land — a country
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. land — ground
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. staff — employees
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. tube — a container
  21. land — to come down
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  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