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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. face — to point toward
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cap — a hat
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fine — high quality
  11. root — of a plant
  12. fine — all right
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kick — in football
  15. root — of a word
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. root — the cause
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. face — to confront

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