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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. can — a tin
  3. fall — to drop
  4. face — to confront
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. fall — to drop
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. content — happy
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. can — to be able to
  15. fine — all right
  16. rule — government
  17. can — a tin
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. content — the amount
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fall — the season
  23. kick — in football
  24. rule — a law

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