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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. face — part of the head
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cell — a phone
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. face — to point toward
  12. present — there
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. swing — music
  15. present — a gift
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wax — to grow
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. face — to confront

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