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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lie — to recline
  5. rush — hurry
  6. face — to confront
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wax — to grow
  11. spell — letters
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spell — magic
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wound — an injury

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