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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. face — to point toward
  5. root — of a word
  6. face — to confront
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. root — the cause
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. net — after costs
  12. wax — to grow
  13. root — of a plant
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. net — in sport
  17. kick — in football
  18. net — for catching
  19. cue — for pool
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cue — a hint
  24. wake — before a funeral

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