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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cap — a lid
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. field — farmland
  8. band — a music group
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. clip — for paper
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cap — a hat
  14. band — a ring
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. field — a subject
  17. clip — a video
  18. field — for sport
  19. cap — of ice
  20. face — to confront
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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