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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rest — a break
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mark — a grade
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. face — to confront
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. face — to point toward
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wax — to grow
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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