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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. lie — to recline
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. season — in sport
  11. rest — a break
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. face — part of the head
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — in cards
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rest — what's left
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. rest — what's left
  23. face — to confront
  24. season — of the year

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