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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cue — a signal
  7. band — a ring
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wax — to grow
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bowl — a football final

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