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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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. can — a tin
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wax — to grow
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. squash — to crush
  12. face — part of the head
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rash — a series
  17. lean — thin
  18. can — a tin
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. can — to be able to
  24. rash — hasty

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