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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lie — to recline
  3. current — of water
  4. plane — a tool
  5. mine — for digging
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. face — part of the head
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. current — electric
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. face — to point toward
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. kick — in football
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. current — happening now
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wax — in the ear

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