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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. current — of water
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. face — to point toward
  8. kick — in football
  9. current — electric
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. net — after costs
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mark — a grade
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. net — in sport
  19. lean — thin
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. face — to confront
  22. net — for catching
  23. mark — a trace
  24. current — happening now

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