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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. face — part of the head
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fall — the season
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fall — to drop
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. fall — to drop
  17. face — to confront
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bat — the animal
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wax — to grow
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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