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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. face — to point toward
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bound — obliged
  16. face — part of the head
  17. shower — rain
  18. date — the fruit
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wax — to grow
  21. shower — to wash
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bound — certain
  24. stand — on your feet

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