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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 120 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. face — part of the head
  3. net — for catching
  4. mark — a grade
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. net — after costs
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bulb — for light
  12. file — a document
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. file — a line of people
  16. chest — a box
  17. face — to confront
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. net — in sport
  23. face — to point toward
  24. file — a tool

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