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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. lean — to bend
  4. charge — electricity
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bore — to tire
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — thin
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. capital — money
  19. face — part of the head
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. charge — in control
  22. bore — to drill
  23. charge — a price
  24. straw — dry grass

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